The Genetic Experiment
by RyaStar2
Summary: Ed is kidnapped by two crazed alchemist and it's up to the military and his brother to get him back before too much damage is done. Please read and review. Rated M for..well I don't know what I might do in this story, so we wanted to be safe. XD
1. Chapter 1

The Genetic Experiment

By Rya Star 2

Disclaimer-I don't own Fullmetal alchemist or any of the characters.

There was nothing Edward Elric hated more. Just the sight of it caused his throat to go dry and his breath to hesitate. It was like staring at death. And it was one of the few weapons that alchemy couldn't really combat. Reluctantly the Fullmetal Alchemist brought his hands up in surrender but it didn't stop him from glaring at the person holding the gun to his face. All Edward was suppose to do was investigate this place. He wasn't suppose to cause any trouble or get caught, yet here he was. The man holding the weapon was grinning like the maniac he was.

"Such a naughty boy, killing all our experiments. Now we have to start from scratch." Trying to swallow, he realized it was almost impossible. Before he had a chance to reply, something sharp stuck in his neck and he suddenly felt hot. Glancing behind him, he noticed another dark figure stood, holding a syringe.

"Nighty night, State Alchemist." Edward felt his legs become weak and before he hit the ground, he was out.

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Riza Hawkeye stopped writing her memo as a large shadow leaned overhead. Glancing up, she smiled lightly at the bulky suit of armor staring back at her.

"Morning Alphonse. What can I do for you?" Al dropped his gaze some and rubbed the back of his head.

"Um, well I was wondering if you've seen Brother. He didn't come home last night after his meeting with the Colonel." Riza frowned, unsure of where Edward would have gone. Standing from her seat, she excused herself and headed for the Colonel's office. Once she was given permission to enter, she disappeared from Al's view. Within minutes, Roy was out of his office and now staring back at Alphonse.

"What do you mean he didn't come back last night?" He seemed equally worried which only made Al more concerned.

"It's just like I said. Did you send him somewhere?" Roy clentched his teeth and glanced away for a second. Coming to a quick conclusion he turned back to Lt. Hawkeye.

"We've gotta go, now." She nodded back and headed for the exit with Al and him following quickly.

"You're not gonna tell me what happened?" The way the Colonel was acting made Alphonse worry even more.

"I'll tell you in the car." Even with the car just being outside, to Al the short distance was agony. The Colonel jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Okay, we're here. Now why are you so worried?" Al crowded over the front seat.

"I told him to check out this lead yesterday for an underground lab that was creating Chimeras. I warned him not to engage anyone there though. He was suppose to come back if he found anything so we could go back with a team. I'm afraid he was caught. These people are supposedly very dangerous." Glancing back in the rear view mirror, Mustang noticed Alphonse was now clasping his helmet with both hands and worry resignated from him.

"But why would you send him alone? Why wouldn't he ask me to help?"

"I sent him because I thought he could get in and out pretty easy. And he didn't mention anything to you because I told him these are the kind of people that you need to avoid. Rumors are, they don't just create Chimeras. They find ways to use alchemy to hurt people. Our investigations department has found several corpses of failed experiments.

"Are they using human transmutation?" Roy nodded quickly and Alphonse brought his head down, completely griefstrickened. "This is awful. Please be okay, Brother." He spoke quietly but the Colonel and Lieutenant heard him anyway.

Author's Notes-So I started another story and would really like some feedback on it. I know this first chapter was a little short but the next will be longer.


	2. Chapter 2

The blond let out a weak groan, his head feeling fuzzy. The clean smell of his surroundings burned the inside of his nose as he took in a deep breath. He tried to move but found that his arms were tied down above his head. Trying his legs, he found the same thing. Realizing he was stuck, his adrenaline kicked in and he pulled at the restraints even more. Glancing around the room Ed looked for something that would help him escape. Unfortunately there was nothing in reach.

Letting out angry yell, he tried to bring his hands together over his head. Maybe if he could reach just enough, he could get out of here. The more he pulled, the more the leather strap rubbed against his real wrist. It was no use, his palms were just out of reach.

"What the hell!" Determined not to give up, he kept struggling. He had to get out of this place before those two men came back. Considering all the evidence he found earlier, he knew they didn't have anything good planned for him. After yelling and carrying on for several minutes, he paused when he heard footsteps nearby and then a door squeaking on it's hinges. His whole body tensed up and he brought his head up, trying to see who was there. Despite his attempts, his visual of the door was limited and everything remained still.

Giving up, he leaned his head back only for a chill to shoot down his back as a dark figure leaned over him. Silhouetted against the bright lights above, the only thing that stood out was the evil grin plastered on the man's face. Edward clenched his teeth and squirmed some more, like he hadn't already tried to get loose. "Who are you?" The man didn't answer him as he reached down to touch Ed's cheek. The blond pulled his head away quickly.

"Such pretty features. I don't think we should do anything to his face." Despite the creepy observation, Ed continued to glare at him.

"I completely agree with you on that point. But we had already decided not to turn him into another chimera." There was another deep voice from behind. The shorter of the two men walked around the table, eyeing Edward the whole time. "This specimen is more important then our other ones. Definitely not a resource that should be wasted." Ed visibly tensed up again.

"If you're smart, you'll let me go. Do you really think the military won't look for me?" His blunt statement was directed to the shorter man standing before him.

"Can we at least play with him a little before we do anything too serious," the taller one questioned in a sick tone. Edward yanked at his restraints angrily.

"Why aren't you listening to me!" The teen was obviously angry and didn't like being ignored. This was his only chance to get out of here. The shorter man at the end of the table let out a hardy laugh.

"Such a hot tempered attitude. We'll have to work on that. Besides, no one is going to find you. We moved you when you were sleeping. This is a completely different lab."

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"Colonel, are you sure this is where you told him to go?" Alphonse looked around the empty lab. It had been cleaned out and it was difficult to know how long it had been deserted. Lt. Hawkeye went around the corner and stopped, bringing her hand up to her face and covering her mouth.

"Sir, over here." He moved quickly, followed by Alphonse. All three of them peered down the long corridor to see multiple chimera's slaughtered. From the looks of the scene, they had been released and whatever they were attacking, fought back and won.

"This looks like Fullmetal's work. But now the question is where is he?"

"What if he's injured from the fight? We have to find him!" It was clear that this new evidence only caused him to worry even more for his brother's safety.

"It's okay Al, we'll find him." Roy turned and headed for the exit. It was going to be difficult but he would do his best to get a search party together to sweep the city. Riza placed her gun back in it's holster and turned to follow her Commanding officer. When she didn't hear Alphonse behind her, she turned back.

"Alphonse, are you coming?" His crimson gaze turned to her and it was clear he was thinking, trying to come up with a solution.

"You go on ahead, I just want to see if I can find any more clues that could help find Brother." Lt. Hawkeye didn't try to convince him that they would take care of it. If he wanted to stay here and look for evidence, that was his decisions. Al wondered through the abandoned lab for what felt like hours. He was just about to give up when he noticed a worn out map of Central on the wall. Getting a closer look at it, he noticed a particular part of the map had been marked. "Maybe that's where they went." Deciding it was the best place to start, he left the abandoned lab.

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"What do you mean we can't look for him?" Roy had his fists clenched tightly at his sides as he glared up at General Raven. The older man had just stepped into his office and informed him that there was no need to look for Edward Elric. "Sir, he's been missing for several hours now and I believe his life could be in danger." The General placed his hand up and smiled back in a patronizing way.

"I'm only following protocol , Colonel. Any personel, even State alchemists missing in action must be missing for at least 48. Now I understand your concern but hasn't Fullmetal been known for running off."

"Not even his brother knows where he is. This could be very serious."

"Colonel, if you want to investigate this on your own free time that's fine with me, but don't waste the militaries time. If he's still missing in 48 hours then come back to me and I'll let you have as many men as you want." Mustang grit his teeth and nodded quietly. At least the military couldn't stop Alphonse from looking for him. General Raven exited the office and moved swiftly to his own on the other side of Central Command. Although normally he wore a pleasant smile on his face, his demeanor was serious and somewhat out of character. Before he reached his office, his receptionist informed him that he had someone waiting inside. Sure enough, a stocky man in a brown coat was sitting in front of his desk, hands folded neatly in his lap. Hearing the door shut, he didn't look up but waited for Raven to come into view.

"I take it he didn't like what you had to say?" The man pushed his glasses up slightly, catching the General's gaze.

"Despite his heart, Colonel Mustang will not go against a direct order." He took a seat and leaned forward on his palms. "That being said, you're men do realize how important the Fullmetal alchemist is to us?"

"I plan on taking a trip down to see them later. I'll explain it to them then." He smiled maniacally, revealing a single gold tooth in his top row of brilliant white. Standing to his feet, he left the office as quietly as he came in.


	3. Chapter 3

Alphonse stared in shock at the sight before him. The building that had been marked on the map was one of the five military labs.

"Can Brother really be here?" Before heading inside, he turned to the street and headed for a nearby phone booth. It rang twice before the other end was answered. "I need to speak to Colonel Mustang, please." There was a pause for several seconds before Lt. Hawkeye picked up.

"Alphonse, he's in a meeting with General Raven. Can I help you."

"Oh well I might have found a lead. Brother might actually be at one of the military's labs. I'm gonna check it out."

"Don't you think you should wait for us? It might be dangerous."

"I'm just gonna ask if anyone has seen him. It'll be okay."

"Just make sure to call us if you find anything, alright?"

"Okay, Lieutenant. I will." Hanging up the phone, he headed for the entrance. Inside, it was surprisingly quiet for a place that seemed very busy. Walking up to the main desk, he waited for one of the doctors standing there to notice him. Finally one of the men turned to him, eyebrows raised at the sight of someone standing there in a full suit of armor.

"Can we help you?"

"Um, yes I was wondering if either of you saw anyone in here with my brother. He's about this tall with blond hair." He brought his hand up in front of his chest plate to indicate Ed's height.

"Haven't seen anyone like that lately." The one doctor scratched the back of his head. The other man standing there looking over some files entered the conversation.

"What about Nelson and Mercer? I know they came through here and I was pretty sure they unloaded something from the side street. For the most part they deal with bringing in animals but they've always brought them through the front. Thought it was kind of weird at the time but then the two of them are usually kind of odd."

"Are they still here?" They're office is at the end of this hall, you're welcome to see if there still in." Alphonse bowed politely and headed in the direction pointed out to him. This part of the lab was even quieter. It seemed as though no one ever came down to this area. Opening the door to the office, he noticed the lights were off and reached for the switch. The office was empty just as he suspected however something off caught his eyes. The far wall behind the desk didn't look as solid as the other three walls. Moving in to get a better look, he immediately recognized the texture. This wall had been constructed using alchemy which made him wonder what was behind it. Making sure no one was out in the hallway, he clapped his hands together and pressed his palms against the rough surface. Sure enough, there was a dark passage with a flight of stairs leading below the lab. "Hang on Brother. I'm coming."

Resealing the wall behind him, he disappeared below. It was difficult to see anything and he tried to be careful. As he made it to the bottom of the stairwell, he noticed lights on. It brought hope to his worried soul. Originally he thought that this area might be as big as the building above however it seemed much smaller now. The hallway turned bringing him into a larger room that had several cages against the wall. In the center of the room was a large transmutation circle. He realized that this particular circle looked a lot like one used for human transmutation. The thought made him feel uneasy. If Ed was here what were they using him for? Across the way, he noticed a set of double doors and headed towards them. He immediately caught sight of his brother and rushed over to him.

"Brother!" Ed tried to move his head so he could see Alphonse. He responded with a muffled sound. Al made it over to the table and noticed he had a large piece of tape over his mouth. "Guess they got tired of listening to you." Edward glared at him for a second before pulling against the straps holding him down. "Who did this to you? Do you know if they're still here?" Ed shook his head back and forth frantically. He hadn't seen the two guys that brought him here for several minutes but he was certain they were still nearby. He worried that if they found Alphonse, he'd be in danger. Before Al could remove the tape, Edward heard the door open again and he swore his heart jumped into his throat.

"Wasn't expecting anyone else could find this place." Alphonse brought his gaze up to the two men who walked in. They moved around him like two predators ready to attack their prey.

"What do you want with my brother?" Al's normally soft voice came out in a harsh tone. The tall gangly man with black stringy hair made it over to the suit of armor.

"By all means, please stay and watch."

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"Did he tell you which lab he was at?" Colonel Mustang was up from his seat the moment Lt. Hawkeye mentioned Al's phone call.

"Sorry Sir, he didn't give me his location." Roy pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers, trying to release some stress. It didn't help.

"I wish you had told him to wait. I can't do anything for two days." He wished his hands weren't tied on this but he knew better then to assume that Raven was making a suggestion rather then an order.

"Can we do anything, Sir?" He grit his teeth at the realization that he couldn't do anything. Then it dawned on him and he smiled faintly. _He_ couldn't do anything. Didn't mean someone else couldn't.

"Lieutenant, get me Major Armstrong."

Author's notes-I'd really appreciate more reviews, please!


	4. Chapter 4

"Sir,...what are you doing down here?" Nelson was the first to notice they had another visitor. Although this was not an expected visit, he and Mercer knew the other man very well. Adjusting his glasses, their visitor removed his hat and smiled at the two of them. The light reflected off his one gold tooth.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to have a word with you in private." As he spoke, he glanced down at the State Alchemist on the exam table. Ed had a difficult time seeing who was speaking but could only hope this was good for him as the three men in the room left. Once they were out of the room, the man with the golden tooth turned to Nelson and Mercer. "Now I am sure you understand who you have in there, right?"

"Yeah, he's one of the State Alchemists. What's the big deal," Mercer scratched his balding head. Their guest shook his head.

"He is very important to Father and I would appreciate you not doing anything too inhuman to him. No Chimeras."

"And what about his brother? We have him as well," Nelson brought up.

"Ah yes, the suit of armor. He is completely off limits." Nelson frowned at the response.

"So we have to let them go?"

"Now now, I too am a man of science. As long as no one is killed in the process and you keep them both in tack, I won't have a reason to come back. I'm sure there are _other_ things you can do." The two alchemists eye's met and they both had the same idea, grinning maniacally in response. "You see. I knew you'd think of something."

"Just tell us how damaged is too damaged?"

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Armstrong walked hastily down the hallway before making it to the office at the end. Pushing the doors open quickly he finally came to a stop in front of the Flame Alchemist's desk and saluted him.

"Sir, I understand you wanted to see me." Roy twisted his chair back and forth looking over several papers that were stapled together.

"Yes, have you seen this report? It's horrible." He tossed it across the desk to Alex.

"I'm sorry Sir, I don't quite understand." Mustang's onyx gaze was cold.

"It's simple. This came from your unit. I'm gonna need you to rewrite it." The Strong Armed Alchemist picked the report up, glancing over it.

"And what exactly is wrong with it?" He was still confused at why Roy was asking him to rewrite it.

"Well for one there are several words misspelled. Whatever subordinate wrote it should go back to school." Before Armstrong could say anything else, the Colonel raised his hand and turned some in his chair. "That's all." Alex excused himself, took the report and exited rather quickly.

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There was nothing Alphonse could do. Struggling against the chains did him no good and he had given up long ago. The deep anguish his soul felt kept him still. From his position against the wall, he couldn't really see what the two men were doing to Ed but from the sounds of it, he was probably lucky he couldn't see. Whatever they were doing involved alchemy as he could hear each time the array responded to the two men. Edward's voice sounded horse by this point from all the screaming. Al could do nothing to keep from hearing him. After this went on for several minutes, the armored boy leaned forward sobbing quietly to himself.

Ed wanted nothing more then to pass out from this pain. It was almost unbearable. While he managed to figure out they weren't turning him into a chimera based on the conversation they had in front of him earlier, he didn't have a clue what they were doing. It was difficult to see the transmutation circle they were using and he wasn't sure how long this was going to last. He could feel his body changing and it felt like he was on fire. Gritting his teeth, he brought his head back as another wave of pain hit his body. He could feel tears sliding down his face and he found it suddenly difficult to breath. Finally the alchemy around him started to disappear and the pain eased some. The two alchemist leaned over to get a better look.

"See I told you he's pretty."

"Well since we can't do any real research on him, we might as well enjoy ourselves."

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There was really only two places in Central Command to get a minute to yourself:the bathroom or the back of a car. The Major was parked in a nearby alleyway that no one really passed through. He studiously looked over the report full of misspelled words of gibberish. As he circled each wrong word, he was beginning to understand the message that Colonel Mustang was trying to get across. Finishing his task he went back to the front page and started reading all that he had circled.

_The brothers are missing, younger went to find older. He was at one military labs but don't know which one. Please investigate. Have orders not to start searching for two days._ The large man stared at the paper in shock but knew he had to act quickly. There was a tap on the glass and he turned to see the Colonel standing there.

"Sir, did you need something else?" Roy leaned on the window and reached a hand out.

"You're finished with that report, right?" Something in Armstrong's eyes revealed that he understood what he was asking.

"Yes Colonel, here you are." Roy immediately crumpled it up and tossed it to the ground before snapping his fingers. With in minutes, any evidence was ash.

"Let me know if you find anything." With that the Flame Alchemist turned and walked back to Central Command.


	5. Chapter 5

Before anyone knew it, a week had passed by and even with the Colonel's help, there had been no news on where the Elrics where. They had searched each of the military labs with a fine tooth comb. Nothing had turned up. Everyone was working around the clock but with a lack of evidence, it was difficult to keep their spirits up. It was coming to the end of the day and Roy told his staff to head home and they would start fresh in the morning. He leaned back in his chair pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, trying to relieve the headache he felt coming on. Laying on his desk before him were the schematics of all the labs as well as the map that was found at the first lab where Fullmetal had gone to investigate. As many times as he had looked over them, nothing changed and he along with his entire office had been through each building several times. There was a light knock on the door and he glanced over as Riza walked in.

"Sir, you really should go home. Everyone else has left." Her tone was soft and sympathetic. She knew this whole thing had been really hard on him most of all. Of course she was taking it pretty hard too considering she was the last one to see and speak to Alphonse Elric before he disappeared. Reluctantly he rose to his feet and headed over to the door ready to leave with her. Catching the look she gave him, he turned away from her. He knew she felt bad for him but he didn't need any sympathy right now. "Would you like me to drive you home?" He let out a laugh in response.

"Honestly I'd like to walk. Helps me to clear my mind. Besides going home seems some what pointless right now. It's not like I'm able to sleep anyway."

"Sir, we will find them. It's just taking longer then we expected." He finally glanced over at her, a tired look in his eyes. He really hadn't been sleeping well.

"I've gone over it again and again in my mind. I know what kind of people took them and I worry that there won't be much left of either one of them by the time we find them. These people are monsters to say the least. They don't see people as living beings but more like things to be toyed with."

"I understand sir, but you forget. The Elric brothers are strong. They'll make it through this. I just have a feeling about it." The Colonel sighed before answering her.

"I hope your feeling is right."

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It was dark now in the lab. It was this time of the night that Al actually got some peace. He knew his brother was hopefully sleeping and not in any pain. He wasn't sure if the two men actually left each day but at least they weren't hurting Ed. Alphonse' quiet voice sounded loud in comparison to the silence around them.

"Ed...are you okay?"

"Mmmnn..." This brief exchange had happened each night between them. At the very least it let Alphonse know that Edward was still able to answer and acknowledge who he was. Each day it seemed the hours passed even slower when they were hurting him. By this point, Al had to do his best to block out the fact it was his older brother pleading for them to stop. He didn't understand what purpose it served them to inflict so much pain. Today was actually the first day though where Ed didn't bother responding. It was almost as if they had broken his will to fight back. After so many days of this, they both were getting to where they block most of what was going on out. "Al..." Edward's voice sounded rough, like it hurt him to talk at all. "Are you alright? They haven't hurt you... have they?"

"No, so far they've left me alone." He sounded like he wanted to cry. It wasn't fair for them to keep both of them here and only dish out punishment to Ed. He hadn't done anything and lets face it, Al couldn't feel any pain in his body. If them taking him apart meant even a little relief for his older brother he'd let them do whatever they wanted to him. But Edward couldn't handle that and that was why he gave up begging for the end of his torment. If they got bored with him, they would no doubt go after Alphonse. He couldn't stand the idea of anything happening to him. Not after all he'd gone through so far. Edward wondered if the military was looking for them or if they just thought they had gone on another one of their side trips. He really hoped the Colonel had come to the conclusion that since he didn't have a report on his desk about the two crazy alchemists that he knew something was wrong. As stubborn as he wanted to be though, he had lost a lot of his fight and now just wanted to die. Each day seemed to become even more difficult to get through but he had to hold on at least until someone found them.

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Lt. Hawkeye was the first one in the office this particular day. It was now into the next week and nothing had changed. Each member of the staff had spent the last two days interviewing each employee of the labs to see if they had noticed anything out of the ordinary. Even if someone remembered seeing Alphonse, they would be a huge help. But so far that hadn't turned up anything. Wearily she brought a stack of papers into Roy's office for him to sign. As she laid them down, she noticed something on one of the schematics he'd been so diligently looking over. There was a space that went unaccounted for in one of the rooms she had searched. It belonged to two of the staff members that they hadn't spoken with during this whole event. The layout showed that each of the rooms used as offices in lab 2 were the same dimensions. However she remembered waiting in the one office and remembered it being much smaller then the others. Heading back out into the main office, she pulled out the names of the two men they hadn't gotten a chance to speak to.

"Nelson and Mercer." Sure enough no one had seen them in days. As this small bit of hope caused her heart to leap in her chest, she heard the door open and the Colonel let out an obvious yawn.

"Morning..." He paused when he saw the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I may have found a lead, Sir." Roy's jaw dropped in shock as he stared at her waiting for her to continue.

Author's Notes-I've started to get bored, sorry to say so please let me know what you think so far and thanks for all the feed back.


	6. Chapter 6

It was obvious that something was going on at the second military lab this particular day as the Colonel's team went to work speaking to anyone on staff that had not been interrogated. While Falman, Havoc, Breda, and Fury were busy with the staff, Mustang and Lt. Hawkeye checked out the one office. Sure enough Riza's suspicions were correct as Roy got a better look at the rear wall, it was definitely constructed using alchemy. Unfortunately he would have to wait for Armstrong to get there in order to break through it. No one that worked there had seen Nelson or Mercer for quite some time. It was just assumed that they were doing work out in the field. Becoming impatient, the Colonel decided to head back out to the front desk to wait for the Major out there.

As he reached the desk he heard the one person up there mention to Havoc he'd seen Al. Coming around the corner, he interrupted the conversation.

"When did you see him?" His demeanor was serious and he was not in the mood for this to be a joke. The man behind the desk scratched his chin.

"I'd say it was about a week ago."

"And why haven't you mentioned this sooner to us?"

"Well I didn't know you were talking about someone wearing armor. No one said anything about his appearance. Besides, I'm pretty sure he left the building." As the Colonel kept questioning him, Armstrong came in.

"Which office am I needed in?" He asked Havoc since Roy was too busy.

"It's down that way, Major. Lt. Hawkeye is down there."

"Did you actually see him leave the building?" It was clear that this was last place that either of the Elric brothers has been seen.

"Well not exactly but I'm sure he must have."

"What kind of security do you have around here?" Havoc leaned forward, trying to calm his commanding officer down.

"Come on sir, I'm sure it's not his responsibility."

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Riza was now looking through the desk, looking for any information that would tell her that these two alchemists did indeed have anything to do with Ed and Al's disappearance. Major Armstrong knocked on the door and entered the small room.

"Find anything?" She shook her head but kept looking through the top drawer. She pulled out one folder labeled Chimeras and she grimaced at the thought.

"If they knew this wasn't allowed, why would they be so obvious about it." By now Armstrong was over at the back wall, searching for the weakest point. Riza pulled out another file but before she had a chance to look through it, Alex's fist made contact with the wall. She almost jumped out of her seat and the entire building heard the noise. With another slam, he managed to break through. "I thought you were going to use alchemy. You know not make such a mess." She looked through the debris to see a darkened staircase.

"Sorry." Riza moved back to the doorway and caught sight of Fury down the hallway.

"Fury, I need you to come in here and box up everything in this office." He nodded and headed into the office. She immediately handed him the two folders. "These are important."

"Are you coming with me," Armstrong looked back at her.

"Let's go." She turned and followed him down the staircase.

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"Did you hear that blast," Nelson glanced over at his partner.

"Sounds like they finally figured out where we are."

"We'd better get out of here, before we get caught."

"I'm almost finished." Alphonse overheard the conversation and it sparked the smallest amount of hope in him. He didn't want to be here anymore and wasn't sure how much longer he could listen the two men abusing his brother. Without another word, the two of them walked past him, leaving the room, rather quickly.

"Brother, I think someone's coming." There was no answer and Al's soul felt heavy with concern. Armstrong was the first one in the room and immediately noticed Alphonse tied up on the floor. As he went to work releasing him, Riza moved further into the room with her gun drawn. Seeing the blond tied down to a table further in, she headed in that direction."

"Tell us where they went, Alphonse."

"They ran out just before you got here." Hearing that, Lt. Hawkeye returned her gun to her holster. Leaning over Ed, she nudged his arm carefully. He seemed totally out of it.

"Edward, are you alright?" Without any warning, he started to struggle against his restraints, trying desperately to get out. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe." She tried to calm him down but it was clear he wasn't thinking rationally.

"Let me go," he whined and she tried to get the strapes undone. He was covered with a thin sheet and she was reluctant to look underneath. She was having a hard time getting him free since he wouldn't settle down.

"Ed, I need you to calm down." Without warning he turned his head and started sobbing uncontrollably. Noticing some movement at the doorway, she glanced over to see the Colonel standing there. When he realized what she was trying to do, he hurried over to help. Now that Ed wasn't fighting so much, he was able to get his automail leg unstrapped and went for his other leg. When he placed his hand on his ankle, Edward jerked hard and swung his free leg at the Colonel.

"No, don't touch me!" Roy took a step back, avoiding the metal foot that almost hit him in the face.

"What was that about?" Riza went for the strap that Mustang just tried to undo. Edward didn't try to kick her.

"He must be delusional." She finally got the guts to glance under the sheet. Lifting up a little, a confused look came over her face and she quickly placed it back down.

"Lieutenant, what is it?" Opening her mouth, her voice wouldn't come out. "Lieutenant!" It was clear the Flame alchemist was still stressed from this situation. Bringing her brown gaze up, she still seemed confused.

"Ed's a girl."

Author's Notes-XD weren't expecting that were you?


	7. Chapter 7

"Sir, are you sure about this?" The Lieutenant was practically glaring at him and he knew she didn't like the idea of this.

"They'll know what to do. They'll know how to fix this." They were standing outside the underground lab. They had left Ed and Al inside while they discussed what they were gonna do. Armstrong was searching the rest of the area to see if he could find the two alchemists responsible. If they were lucky, he wouldn't find them.

"You don't know if they can, though. I don't think this is what's best for Edward." Roy dropped his gaze. He honestly didn't know what was the right thing to do. Ed needed help. He wasn't even sure if he understood what had been done to him but then again, maybe he knew more then he thought. Glancing back into the lab he watched as Alphonse leaned over his brother brushing his hair out of his face. By this point he was untied and leaning on his side but for some reason didn't want to get up. He hadn't even appeared the be relieved that they found them.

"Well then what would you suggest. We can't leave him like that."

"I know but we need to see if he's okay. I think we should take him to a doctor." Now that she thought about it, they kept referring to Ed as a male, even though he wasn't at this point.

"Are you saying we just take him to the hospital. How are we going to explain this." He pointed towards the door to the lab.

"Let me take...Ed. I know of a small clinic where they are also alchemists so they might be able to reverse this." Roy was still unsure about leaving Ed with Riza but he did trust her. Major Armstrong came back to where they were.

"I'm afraid Nelson and Mercer got away but I found another exit that goes directly to the street."

"Sounds like the best way out," Roy turned his gaze back to his Lieutenant. "Alright, I'll leave Fullmetal with you. I'll continue the investigation to find those two monsters." Hawkeye smiled back in relief. She knew Ed didn't need to have a bunch of scientists looking him over and making him feel even worse. She was sure he was mentally having a hard time with this as it was. Quietly, she went back inside to let Alphonse know what was going on. She noticed Al had found a thicker blanket and wrapped it around Ed.

"Alphonse, we're gonna take Ed to a doctor, okay."

"Do you think they can fix this?"

"Maybe but it's important that they see Edward is physically okay." She could tell Alphonse was leery but after shifting his worried look back to Ed and then to her again, he nodded in agreement. She was happy he knew this was the right thing for Edward. Even if she had managed to convince the Colonel, Alphonse had the final say. He leaned back down to his brother's level and placed his hand on his head.

"Brother, we're gonna take you somewhere safe, okay." There was a faint moan in response. Al tried to lift Ed from the table only for his older brother to push him away in another panicked assault. The Lieutenant moved in and he paused.

"Edward, we need to get you out of here," she explained in a firm but gentle tone. The only reaction to her was his hand reaching out to take hold of her sleeve. Somehow she managed to get Ed to sit up and lifted him off the table. "Alright let's go."

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The car ride was quiet. Every so often, Lt. Hawkeye found herself glancing over to the 'girl' curled up in the front seat. Edward hadn't said anything nor look anyone in the face. It was as though this form was something to be ashamed of. He hadn't even looked at this body, out of curiosity. Riza decided to try and talk to him.

"Ed, do you have any idea why they did this to you?" The only response was a soft sob and the girl curled more into herself like she was trying to get away from the world around her. "It's okay, you don't have to talk about it." The blond next to her nodded quietly. Riza reached over and tried to pull hair out of Ed's face. At some point his signature braid had come loose, sending his hair everywhere. For whatever reason he didn't seem to care. They pulled up to the small clinic and Riza parked the car. By now, Colonel Mustang had called to let them know what was going on so they knew what to expect.

Ed was brought to the back immediately while Lt. Hawkeye filled out paper work at the front desk. As she finished, someone walked over to her in the waiting room.

"It's been a long time, Riza. How are you?" The female doctor smiled down at her.

"Hey Kaitlynn, Guess I'm okay. Are you the one whose going to take care of my friend in there?"

"Yes, I told the staff that I would be the only one dealing with this case."

"I appreciate your help. Edward can be difficult sometimes."

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Ed sat on the table in one of the small exam room,clinging to the blanket that was still wrapped around his small frame. He stared at the floor in front of him at nothing in particular. He didn't feel right even if he wasn't hurting as much now. Glancing around at his surroundings he couldn't help but wonder why they brought him here. Before he could think any more about it, Kaitlynn came in.

"Hey Edward, I'm Kaitlynn. How are you feeling?" He nervously looked back at the floor, unsure of what to do. "It's okay, I already talked to Lt. Hawkeye. I'm also an alchemist and I know what happened." Although he wouldn't look up, Ed finally spoke up even if it was quiet.

"Do you think you can fix me?"

"I'd like to try." She hoped to get at least a small grin in response but instead there was just a slight nod back.


	8. Chapter 8

By the time Kaitlynn came out of the small exam room, Riza was sitting in a seat in front of the door along with the Colonel. Giving her friend a shrug, she was relieved that the doctor didn't mind.

"So how is Ed?" The Lieutenant decided to ask what was on everyone's mind. Kaitlynn's expression became very serious at the question.

"Actually Riza, can I talk to you in private about that." Glancing back at Mustang, her commanding officer nodded his permission. If this had anything to do with the fact that Ed was currently in a female body then he would rather hear the edited version later. Riza followed the doctor into her office and closed the door behind her. "I felt you should be the one to hear this first." With such a to the point tone, Riza found herself actually scared that Ed might be stuck like this.

"Is he...is Edward gonna be okay?"

"Yes, I am pretty sure this is reversible. I just need to research it first so it may be a couple of days before I've got it figured out. That's not what has me concerned though right now. I strongly believe that they were gonna use Ed for something called engenderation. It's been done with Chimeras, it's taking a male and changing it into a female. Then the alchemist tries to see if they can successfully cause reproduction." While Riza was shocked by the conclusion, she still didn't really understanding.

"But why? It doesn't make any sense. Aren't there plenty of women walking around anyway?"

"I completely get where you're coming from, but if these two alchemist were so unstable and already working with Chimeras, this practice isn't very far fetched then. I've just never seen it done to a human. The only explanation for this process is to get the best genetics from both parents." Lt. Hawkeye nodded back although she actually felt somewhat ill. "Riza, there's more to it then that. The reason I know that much is because there was evidence. I believe these two men forced Edward to...," Riza cut her off, shaking her head.

"I get it. You don't have to explain."

"I'm sorry, I wish I had better news for you. Mentally, it's gonna take Ed some time to recover and that doesn't even count the physical effects." The Lieutenant nodded in agreement. She hated that they were talking about Edward like this. She always liked him and Alphonse, feeling that they had been handed a rough deal in life but were determined to overcome all odds. In some ways she had considered Ed more then just another soldier. He had been a friend too, treating her with respect even when they weren't at the office.

"Please, help. Do whatever you can. Was there anything else?"

"Edward is also kind of malnourished so I want to try to spend the next couple of days working on that as well as some communication. He was reluctant to talk to me about what happened but I think any communication right now would help." The Lieutenant nodded back, feeling a little relief.

"Thank you. I can't tell you how much this means to us."

"Don't worry about it." Kaitlynn stood first and opened the door, stepping out. "I'll get a Ed a room that he'll feel more comfortable in." Kaitlynn excused herself and headed down the hallway. Riza composed herself some before sitting next to Roy.

"So did she say she found anything?" The Lieutenant cleared her throat before answering.

"Sir, are you sure you want to know more then you do now?"

"Well I'd like to at least know why these two bastards did this to one of my men." Riza turned to him, her steady dark gaze meeting his.

"Do you know what engenderation is?" Roy's gaze widened and he blinked several times at the word. "I had a feeling you'd understand."

"I'm gonna find them and they'll never hurt anyone or anything ever again. If I had known how crazy they were, I would have never sent Ed after them." He grit his teeth as he leaned back in his seat. "Did she say if she would be able to get him back to normal?"

"Yes, she believe she can but it's going to take a couple of days." The Colonel rose to his feet and turned back to his Lieutenant.

"I need you to stay here. Ed seems to trust you more then the rest of us right now. Don't worry about anything at the office, it can wait." She nodded back, almost confused by his order. "I'll be back later." That being said, he headed for the exit.

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Another half hour went by and two nurses moved Edward upstairs to a much nicer room with a bathroom and a window. They changed him into a hospital gown despite how much he wanted to hang onto the blanket Alphonse gave him. Once he was situated, Riza knocked on the door before entering. Edward didn't say anything to her but just stared down at his lap. Quietly she took a seat next to the bed, waiting to see if he would speak up first. Trying not to make it obvious that she was looking at him, she couldn't help but notice he seemed very uncomfortable just sitting there.

"Ed, do you need anything?" She wasn't expecting an answer. Edward's amber gaze dropped and he found himself now starring at his left arm. It seemed thinner and less muscular to him. He couldn't help but wonder if everything had changed. The thought made him shiver.

"I'm really cold," he told her, pulling the sheets up a little.

"Let me go see what I can do." She got up and headed for the door. Just as she opened it, she almost jumped back seeing Alphonse there. "Oh hi Al." She was expecting him to come into the room but he remained in the hallway, his gaze remaining on his older brother. Edward didn't look up or acknowledge him there. Riza moved out and shut the door behind her. "Is everything okay, Alphonse?" The suit of armor shook his head and took a seat outside the room. He placed the bag he was carrying next to him on the floor.

"They told me I couldn't see him." Hawkeye could feel anger welling up in her chest when he told her that.

"I'll go talk to Kaitlynn and we'll get you in. I can't believe they'd tell you that." Al brought his red gaze up to her.

"No, that's not it, Lieutenant. They told me Ed doesn't want to see me." Riza gave him a sympathetic look before sitting next to him. She had put aside the fact that Alphonse was suffering too. He had to endure listening to all that was being done to Edward. For all she knew they told him what they were doing, just to make it more painful. Once again she felt her anger growing. Al quietly reached down and picked up the bag. "I got Brother's things back from the lab. I brought them to the dorm and I got him some stuff while he stays here. There are some pajamas and a blanket." He handed the bag to her. "Please give these to him. He gets really cold in these kind of places."

"Alphonse? Are you gonna be okay? This hasn't been easy for you either." He shook his head and brought his hands up to cover his face.

"I couldn't help him and now he's mad at me." A sound came from the hollow armor that sounded like he was crying. Even though he couldn't feel it, Riza found herself placing her hand on his back.

"I don't think that's it, Al. Just give him some time. He won't let the Colonel near him either. It'll be okay." Alphonse tried to get a grip on himself and turned to her.

"Thank you Lieutenant. Thanks for treating me like a human." His words were so sincere and she wished there was more she could do.


	9. Chapter 9

There would be no sleeping in this place. Even with the warm pajamas and blanket, every noise kept him up. It didn't help that every time he closed his eyes he could see Nelson and Mercer grinning maniacally at him. It was the most unsettling feeling knowing that they were still out there and hadn't been caught yet. Turning over, he felt his back ache and finally letting out a sigh, he sat up and leaned over the edge of the bed. They had given him something for any pain he was in but it felt like it had worn off. The slight pain started in his back but everything else ached as well. Even his bones felt like they hurt. It made sense though, his body had been shifted and altered. He couldn't imagine how painful it must be for Chimeras. Rising to his feel, he let out a soft whimper from shifting his weight and his hips complained sharply. This body was weak and made him feel small and helpless. He had worked so hard to not feel that way in his life but now finding it difficult to walk brought him right back to the night he tried to bring his mother back.

Weak...small...helpless. And on top of it all, he had pushed everyone away so he felt all alone too. But even though he had asked the staff for no one to be allowed in his room, he knew Alphonse would be close. He was the only person who would be up at this hour anyway. Edward slowly made it into the bathroom, somewhat unsure of how he was planning on using the toilet. They had told him to sit down, but that just seemed like a weird way to pee. But still, he had to go and wasn't about to look down _there _to figure things out. After several frustrating minutes of trying to figure it out, he was finally successful but frustrated. Heading back into his room, he paused for a second when he noticed a long shadow across the floor. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a figure silhouetted against the window. Reaching for the light, he took in a deep breath when he realized it was just a coat rack with a couple of white coats hanging from it. The silence was starting to get to him and he went for the door. Trying the handle he was surprised to find it locked. Feeling panic sneaking up on him, he tried it again only this time he pushed his automail shoulder into it, making a loud thud. It was actually dead bolted. Before he realized it, he was shouting for Alphonse but there was no answer.

Hurrying over to the window, he found it to be locked too. Something about this made him uneasy and he was about to transmute the door off the wall when he heard someone out in the hallway unlocking the door. Two rather large men came in followed by a short fat nurse.

"What is all the commotion? You should be in bed." As much as he wanted to remain quiet, being locked up had made him angry.

"I couldn't sleep. Why is the door locked?" The nurse narrowed her eyes at the blond.

"It's for your protection. We don't want you hurting yourself." She spoke in an obnoxiously fake tone.

"I want to talk to my brother."

"Well it's the middle of the night so that's not possible. Now please get back in bed." Ed's defiance was coming through right on cue.

"Thought I said I wasn't tired. Where's Dr. Kaitlynn? I don't think you're suppose to be treating me like this." There wasn't a response as the two men came towards him and took him by the arms to guild him back to the bed. "Hey, quit that. You're hurting me." Despite how much he tried to fight against them, it was no use.

"If you don't cooperate we'll have to give you something to help you sleep." Ed noticed the surringe in her hand and it didn't make matters any better. They managed to get him back on the bed and held him there. As he continued to struggle, they turned him over onto his stomach and pushed his face into the pillow. With a lack of air, his movements slowed and they let up some.

"WHAT'S GOIN ON HERE?" Dr. Kaitlynn seemed livid at the sight before her as she walked further into the room. Edward breathed a little easier with her here now.

"Dr. Kaitlynn, he was trying to get out of his room." Reaching out, the doctor took the needle from the nurse.

"Well Edward, is that true?" She adjusted her glasses on her face.

"I just wanted to see my brother. I wasn't gonna leave." She walked over with a pleasant smile on her face.

"He went home awhile ago. You're not in any condition to be wondering around, okay." He found it odd that she tell the two men to let him up.

"Am I being forced to stay here?" He grit his teeth and glanced up at the two. She smiled more as though he said something amusing.

"Well Edward you are here for observation. We've gotta see how much more you change." His amber gaze shifted to her and widened at the statement.

"What do you mean? I thought you were going to fix this?" The doctor let out a sigh and brought the surringe up to tap on the glass.

"It's all going to be okay. You're very special. The first person to experience this. It has to be properly documented." Just as he wondered if he was dreaming she looked back down at him, the light reflecting off her glasses. "You're an alchemist, I'm sure you understand."

"B..but I don't want to stay like this." Ed could feel tears forming at the corners of his sight. Leaning back down, she rubbed his back and hushed him.

"Shh, just calm down."

"But you're suppose to be the Lieutenant's friend."

"Oh I am, but my work is very important to me and my associates." Before the conversation could go any further Ed felt a sharp pain in his real arm. "Now it's time to go to sleep." The entire time she kept that once sweet smile. But now it didn't seem sweet at all. Now it reminded him of Nelson and Mercer. Feeling the drugs kicking in, Ed couldn't resist any more as he suddenly became drowsy. There was no way to fight this and once again he felt completely helpless but what was worse was he really was alone.


	10. Chapter 10

Riza waited patiently in the waiting room of the small clinic. Today she decided not to wear her uniform since she wasn't going into work. It was nice to dress down every so often of course she was sure not many people considered a nice white top with black slacks as being dressed down. One of the nurses had gone back to let Dr. Kaitlynn know she was waiting for her. After several long minutes, the doctor finally walked out, dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail and white coat neatly pressed. Forcing a pleasant smile on her face, she gestured for Lt. Hawkeye to come back to her office. Quickly she got up and headed down the hallway.

"Morning Kaitlynn. How's everything going?" Her friend turned back to her with a sterner look on her face.

"That's why we need to go talk." Walking into her office, she quickly took a seat behind her desk. "Please close the door behind you." Riza did as instructed and sat down as well.

"Did something bad happen?"

"Would you consider Edward a normally violent person?" Riza's dark gaze dropped to the floor.

"Sometimes I guess he uses more force then needed. I think a lot of it has to do with the automail though. I don't think he realizes how to hold back with it." She knew she was giving him the benefit of the doubt but part of her really did believe that had something to do with the damage he caused. He just didn't know how to pull his punches. The thought made her smile some but when she looked back up at her friend, Kaitlynn didn't seem to find it amusing.

"I think it's in everyone's best interest including Edward's that he not have any visitors."

"What happened? He's only been here for a night." Lt. Hawkeye wasn't sure what the problem was.

"Last night, he tried to run away and injured a couple of nurses in his attempt. I am afraid that in this state he really is a threat to others as well as himself. A therapist is suppose to come in later to speak with him, but I really do feel he is in a very dangerous mind frame right now."

"Well none of us were here last night, would it help if Alphonse came back for the evenings? Al is very good at calming his brother down." Kaitlynn shook her head in response.

"Last night's incident was not something that anyone could talk him out of. I feel the stress of this situation has taken it's toll on him. Right now the best place for him is here where we can control these outbursts and keep him away from normal people."

"I don't know what to say. Ed's just never been a danger to society. Are you sure that isolating him so much is a good idea?" Kaitlynn brought her one arm up and rolled her sleeve up revealing her wrist was wrapped in white gauze that was slightly tinted red.

"I thought he was going to cut my arm off. He was inconsolable and it took several of my staff to hold him down. Trust me, this is in everyone's best interest."

"I'm so sorry, he's never done anything like this before." Dr. Kaitlynn placed her hand up to silence her friend and smiled lightly at her.

"Riza, it's okay. I understand. And please don't think that this means I don't want to treat Edward. He's one of my most important patients right now." Riza nodded back still feeling bad for what happened the night before. As much as she didn't want to believe he was capable of this, it was clear that he did try to attack her friend.

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Once Dr. Kaitlynn got rid of the Lieutenant, she began removing the annoying bandage that had been irritating her skin all morning long. There was a light knock at the door and she hastily rolled her sleeve back down.

"Yes?" The door opened and a stocky balding man walked in, also wearing a white doctors coat.

"Shouldn't you be laying low for now?" She readjusted her glasses on her face. Mercer closed the door and let out a snicker.

"I really don't think anyone will be looking for me here now." Rolling her eyes, she stood from her chair.

"I already told you though, I'm not done with the patient yet. You can have her back when I'm finished."

"Yes well I was hoping things would start moving quickly now that you got the military off our backs some." Kaitlynn didn't like her work being rushed.

"You can fuck your little experiment when I say so. Until then, you'll just have to wait." Her language revealed that it was best not to push the matter any further. If he wasn't careful, she'd let the military know where he and Nelson were. That would not do.

"Very well, I am a very patient man."

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Ever though the haze was starting to lift from Ed's mind, he still felt groggy. Lifting his head some, he glanced around to realized he was on an exam table. As he tried to move his arms he realized they were tied down on either side of him. Trying his legs, he realized they were secured in stirrups at the end of the table. They had replaced his pajamas with one of those paper gowns. Even if he wasn't tied down, he couldn't think straight enough to do alchemy. Preventing him from performing alchemy was the most frustrating thing anyone could have done to him.

Edward needed to get a message to Al or the Colonel. It was clear that Dr. Kaitlynn was working with Nelson and Mercer and probably even knew where they were now. Just as he was starting to think a little clearer about the situation he heard the door open behind him. The realization that he wasn't alone now caused him to tremble uncontrollably. Dr. Kaitlynn came into view and Ed refused to look at her. She continued to stand over him, holding a tray of instruments.

"Now there's no reason to be like that." He clenched his teeth in response and tried to steady his nerves. "You're gonna be spending the next couple of days with me, Edward. So you should really just accept things as they are." Finally his amber gaze met hers.

"What did you do to my head?" The question caught her off guard for a second but then she realized what he was talking about and grinned back.

"Oh you noticed. I wouldn't expect any less from a State alchemist. That's my own little mixture, causing the part of your brain that figures out arrays from functioning. It keeps you from causing any more damage." Arching an eyebrow he didn't understand the word '_more_'. "That's right you're not aware yet. You're officially under lock down. I spoke with Lt. Hawkeye and told her about your outburst last night and how it's my professional opinion that you not be permitted any visitors until I feel you're mentally sound." Edward's eyes widen in response only causing her to smile more."Now that you're up on everything, we've really wasted enough time. While I was hoping you still wouldn't be lucid, it doesn't really matter." As she spoke, she moved around the table and placed her tray down and began pulling her gloves on. "I mean there's nothing to be concerned about but the examinations aren't the most comfortable thing." She sat down on a nearby stool and scooted up to the end of the table. Ed felt vulnerable as she turned the light on overhead and angled it at him. Lifting the sheet, he closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Now lets see how you're progressing, shall we."


	11. Chapter 11

Roy Mustang was shocked at what he was hearing. Riza reported everything that Dr. Kaitlynn told her. Alphonse was standing by as well, frustrated at this new request for everyone to stay away.

"I gotta be honest, it just doesn't sound like Ed," The Colonel admitted, meeting Al's gaze.

"I know he can be difficult but he wouldn't hurt people like that. Maybe they were being too rough with him." Al quietly sighed at the thought of Ed being all alone.

"This just doesn't feel right. I think I'd like to speak with the doctor about this. If we don't have access to him, we won't know how he's doing. Besides how am I suppose to compose an investigation if I can't contact him." Alphonse felt relieved that Colonel Mustang wasn't going to go along with this. He knew his brother needed help right now but being isolated was not going to do it. "I'll allow Dr. Kaitlynn a day to see if things get any better but tomorrow I'm gonna go down and speak with her." Riza let a small grin slip. When she left the clinic she felt really bad about what happened but punishing Ed like this would just upset him more. She would feel better about everything after the Colonel had a meeting with Kaitlynn and got to speak with Ed.

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"And everything's developing very well, Edward," Dr. Kaitlynn told him when she was done with the initial exam. Saying it wasn't 'comfortable' was an understatement. The whole experience was down right unpleasant. Ed felt like his dignity had been dragged through the mud. And explaining what she was doing while doing it didn't make him feel any better. He never wanted to know that much about the female anatomy. As he tried to think of something else, Dr. Kaitlynn leaned over his face again. Did any of these people care about personal space? "You're such a good girl." She smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "And since you've been soo good, I'm gonna do something nice for you." Moving away from him, he lifted his head up watching as she went back to the end of the table.

"Leaving me alone would be nice." She turned back with a mischievous grin on her face. The look made him think whatever she had in mind wasn't good.

"I feel like you haven't gotten to enjoy this change. I think you'd appreciate what's been done if you got to see the perks." Ed's anger started to simmer to a boiling point.

"There aren't any perks! I don't want to be a girl and be any part of you sick plans!"

"You won't feel that way in a little bit." She reached for a long slim box that was on the tray and walked back up to where he could see what she had for him. "Have you ever seen one of these?" She removed the simple gray toy. It was about ten inches long with a button on the one end. He honestly didn't seem to understand what it was for. Without an answer, she headed back to her stool at the end of the table again. "I didn't think so." Knowing she was going to do something he wasn't going to like, he dropped his head down quickly.

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Alphonse quietly followed Major Armstrong through another long dark hallway. This was the third "underground" lab this day and the team was becoming weary quickly. They had distributed wanted posters all through the city for Nelson and Mercer. So far the calls in with information had ended in unsuccessful missions. Havoc moved behind Armstrong, holding his gun with both hands while Fury remained behind Alphonse. The two of them weren't stupid, it was better to let the suit of armor that could not be harmed and the muscled alchemist go first, in case of an ambush. The Strong Arm alchemist made his move and rushed around the corner, fists raised, ready for anything. Al and the other two hurried after him but they all stopped short to see that the place was empty.

"Do you think they were here at all? It's starting to feel like all these leads are just someone's way of throwing us off," Havoc sighed as he placed his gun back in his holster.

"Although it has been frustrating we can't give up. These two men are a threat to the public at this point," Armstrong mentioned. His determination to not give up was suppose to make Al feel better about the situation but the suit of armor just felt all the more depressed about things. He wanted to see Ed, wanted to know that he was okay or at least try to make him feel better. He couldn't understand if Ed was causing the clinic so much trouble why they wouldn't want him there to calm his brother down. Sometimes it felt like he spent his entire life calming Ed down and he was good at it. Quietly he followed the other three back out to the street.

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"Go ahead and placed this chart in my office and in about another half an hour this patient is going to need a bath," Dr. Kaitlynn informed the nurse out in the hallway, before reentering the exam room. She noticed how much Edward was trying not to enjoy the forced stimulation however she knew still having the mindset of a male, that wouldn't last long. Walking over to the table she checked his vitals and smiled at the results. "So how we doing so far?" She placed her hands on her hips and got a good look at his face. He was gritting his teeth and attempting to glare at her, all the while trying desperately not to think about the waves of pleasure his body was experiencing. Reaching her hand down, she tapped hard several times on the end of the device, forcing it deeper inside Edward. He couldn't hold back the moan any longer when she did it. He found himself arching his back as much as possible and panting in response. Her smile widened. "That's what I thought. Another twenty minutes should do the trick. I told you you'd like it." Squinting back up at her he tried to make his demands again.

"Just...just let me go." She moved the device a little more, getting another pleasant response from him.

"But this really is so much fun." Needing more leverage then where she was standing, she moved to the end of the table. From down here she noticed Ed's legs were actually shaking. "Even if you won't admit you're enjoying this, you can't deny how this body is responding. Just give it a little longer and I don't think you'll remember your own name."


	12. Chapter 12

"How do two crazy guys just vanish?" Roy was irritated as all the leads they had received in the last twenty four hours had managed to do was leave him empty handed. It really was starting to feel like someone was misleading them along the way. There was no chance that twelve leads could all be wrong. And the fact that he wasn't aloud to go see Ed was not helping. Of course for all he knew Edward was still angry at him. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really understand why Ed was mad at him at all. Suddenly something completely not related to Ed's mood swings, occurred to him. He could always call and speak to Ed over the phone. They hadn't said anything about that. Without a second thought, he roughly grabbed the phone up and dialed the clinic's number Riza left next to the phone. He listened as the line rang for several seconds before the front desk answered.

"Yes, I need to speak to Dr. Kaitlynn, please?

"She's actually with a patient. Can I take a message?"

"This is Colonel Roy Mustang, my subordinate Edward Elric is in her care and it's important that I speak with him as soon as possible."

"Yes sir, I'll let her know you called."

"Thank you and I hope things have settled down since last night with him."

"Oh did something happen last night?" Roy paused for a second when the woman on the other end of the line asked the question. Surely just like his office, word got out quickly.

"I was told that Dr. Kaitlynn and some of her staff were injured."

"Really? No one said anything about it and the entire staff is here today. Are you sure you heard right?"

"Perhaps I didn't," he spoke with a smile in his voice. "Well when I talk to either one of them, I'm sure we can straighten this all out. Thank you for your time." Hanging up the phone, he narrowed his gaze. Something about this didn't sit right with him and he was going to get to the bottom of this.

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Dr. Kaitlynn looked over her notes from the day. She was waiting for Mercer or Nelson to come by to meet with her. A light knock on her door brought her gaze up. The nurse she placed in charge of Ed when she wasn't dealing with him came in.

"So how is everything. No problems?"

"For the most part. The patient is resting right now but she didn't eat any of her dinner." Kaitlynn leaned back in her chair with an inquiring look on her face.

"Did you give her the meds yet?"

"Yes ma'am and she's already had her bath with no complications." The doctor was not happy with the fact that her patient wasn't eating. If he didn't eat he wouldn't get the nourishment needed for this whole experiment. She knew he was doing it on purpose and she would need to counter it by tomorrow.

"Alright I'll take care of it, thank you."

"Also a Colonel Mustang called for you and wanted to speak with the patient."

"I'll be sure and call him back. Also go ahead and move the patient from her room back to the exam room."

"Are you sure, ma'am. She seemed really tired from the examination earlier."

"I understand that, however I'm going to need counter the effects of her malnourishment. While I haven't gotten the tests back, there is a chance that the patient is pregnant. She can't just not eat dinner."

"I thought this particular patient was a state alchemist. I didn't realize they permitted women to be part of that."

"No you're mistaken. Was there anything else you needed?" It was clear the doctor was becoming impatient.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't realize it was so serious."

"It's okay, now please go do what I ask." Once the nurse left, she picked up the phone and quickly punched in a number. The deep voice on the other end of the line managed to get most of his hello out before she cut him off.

"The two of you need to get down here now. I've got a bone to pick with you." Without another word spoken she hung up the phone, a sour look now on her face. "Well played Edward."

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"So what do you thinks' going on?" Alphonse sat across from Roy in his living room. That morning, his lieutenant informed him that Alphonse shouldn't be left alone in the dorms without Ed. She reminded the Colonel that he had witnessed what had been done to Ed and it was still all very fresh on his young mind. So since she lived in a one room apartment and everyone else lived in the dorms too, Mustang was out of options. Besides ever since she mentioned it to him that morning, he had noticed that Al seemed to be more timid then normal.

"I'm not all that sure, to be honest. It's very strange though that Dr. Kaitlynn hasn't even bothered to contact us at all with an update. And she hasn't returned my call yet from earlier." It was evident that this news bothered Al. Roy had been around the armored soul long enough to catch the small clues. He was hunched forward, fidgeting where he sat. "Alphonse, if something is going on, I'll take care of it." Al rocked back and forth on the couch some, clearly upset.

"I know you will. I just...he's already been through so much and if they're doing anything that isn't helping him, I just don't know what to do. I'm so worried about him right now."

"I am too Al. I didn't get a chance to ask earlier but would you like to stay here till we get this straightened out? It's gotta be too quiet without having to keep up with Ed." A small laugh came from Alphonse which made Roy feel somewhat relieved.

"Yeah, it'd be nice to stay here, it was really lonely last night."

"Well I know you don't really sleep but I've got a guest bedroom with several books if you want to read." Unfortunately he didn't have many guests so the entertainment was slim.

"You have a library?" Al seemed shocked.

"What, you think I don't read."

"Well it's not that, just that your alchemys' not exactly something you can find in a book."

"Doesn't mean there's not basic things I don't enjoy reading about. Give me some credit."

"Sorry." Al rubbed the back of his head. But even though the conversation was pointless, Alphonse seemed to need it.


	13. Chapter 13

Most of the staff had gone home for the day. It was now around seven in the evening and there were only a couple of security guards and nurses on the premise. It was the perfect time of day for Nelson and Mercer to pay Dr. Kaitlynn a visit. Of course they already knew she wasn't happy about something.

"What were you two assholes thinking?" She walked back and forth behind her desk with her arms crossed. It played out like a principal lecturing two students. "Why did you allow her to get so malnourished? All of our efforts are in vein if I can't turn this one area around."

"We just got distracted," Nelson admitted. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You always did have a thing for blonds. Shouldn't surprised me, you not thinking with your brain." Nelson kept his head down. Of the three of them, he really wasn't the brightest.

"It wasn't so much that we were distracted in that sense. You have to understand, the brother showed up and then we had to deal with the military."

"And we've been over these theories how many times. You had him for more then a week. That's about how long it took for the transmutation to work. So how you overlooked feeding the specimen during that time is ridiculous. You feed your stupid chimeras, don't you? You've very well postponed our progress by several weeks. If she's not strong enough there could be serious health risks involved and I've worked too hard to let something so simple to get in the way." Mercer rubbed his head from the headache she was giving him.

"So how do you want us to fix this?"

"Considering that the military is still breathing down our necks, I'm gonna have to figure something out. Despite my best efforts this morning, that Colonel still wants to talk with Edward." She glanced back at the two sitting in front of her and something finally came to mind.

"One of you is gonna either have to get caught or lead them away from the clinic. If they're focused on even getting close to you, maybe they'll leave Edward to me."

"Then how can we go any further with our plan if one of us gets caught," Mercer pointed out.

"That's why I suggested leading them away, maybe even out of the city. Send Nelson, hes' the one that forgot to feed the kid."

"Aw, that's not fair." The tall skinny man dropped his head.

"It's you're own fault," Kaitlynn's voice was harsh.

"Now that we've straightened all that out, can you let us know how things are progressing with the specimen," Mercer really did have a one track mind when it came to his research. Kaitlynn scratched her head and sighed before taking her seat and pulling out the chart and handed it to him.

"Everything is right on schedule. I know that the initial transmutation still needed several days to complete. From my own personal examination, Edward has finished changing. The only thing that seems to stay the same is his mindset. During the stimulation it was clear, despite a lack of cooperation, that originally being a male effects not just the sex drive but also the perception." Nelson seemed a little confused and even Mercer wanted her to explain the final part again. She sighed once more. "How's this? From what I've witnessed, Edward hasn't even looked at the changes he's experienced due to what I would say is embarrassment and possibly guilt."

"You'd think any normal guy, thinking like a guy would want to see that kind of thing," Nelson mentioned. Kaitlynn didn't really expect anything more then that from him.

"Most of the alchemists I've encountered are more focused on their trait then the opposite sex. Does that make any sense to you?" Nelson nodded and brought his head down, deciding he didn't want to talk anymore. "I've had to already up his dosage once today on the meds. Don't want him getting anymore ideas." Mercer finished reading through the folder and looked back up at Dr. Kaitlynn.

"So ultimately you're conclusion is the specimen is ready for the breeding stage? Physically, I mean." Removing her glasses before answering, she carefully cleaned them on her coat.

"As I said, any changes that were still happening are complete now. Physically Edward has a female body, capable of reproducing just like engenderation's theories claim. But due to the lack of nutrients in her system right now, I need to work on that first. So you'll just have to wait a little longer."

"That's fine, just do your best to keep the military away."

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Edward let out an annoyed sound as his head rolled to the one side, feeling heavy. He couldn't think straight and he hated it. He knew they'd given him more drugs. With such a lack of thought process it made it very difficult to come up with a plan on escaping. Weakly, he tried to move only to once again realize he was back in the exam room. He moved his head to the other side. Squinting up at the window, he noticed it was dark and raining outside.

"So why am I still in here, tied down?" His words sounded slurred to him. Finally closing his eyes, he decided he could think of a plan later. He wasn't expecting to sleep so deeply. It felt like five minutes but when he started to wake up, he noticed the exam light on. He tried to move again and let out a cough. There was pressure on his lower stomach and he heard Dr. Kaitlynn mutter something to herself. "What are you doing to me now?"

"You thought you were pretty smart not eating dinner, huh?" Even though he would never admit to it, he already had an idea what they were planning. Most well versed alchemist knew about engenderation, it was right up there with making chimeras and human transmutation. Ed knew all about the taboos of alchemy. Despite the high amount of drugs she had been giving him to keep him from thinking straight, she could just look him in the eye and know he was still figuring ways to mess up their plans.

"I just wasn't hungry."

"Well not to worry, I just made sure you got plenty of nutrition along with a nice dose of adrenaline to help it get through your system quicker. We'll see how you're doing in the morning." He could tell he was starting to get on her nerves and if not for this situation she wouldn't put up with him at all.

"You're so helpful."

"I could make this whole situation so much more unpleasant for you if that's what you want." She leaned dangerously close to his face.

"It's already unpleasant." His voice came out a little above a whisper and he glared up at her in defiance.

"Maybe I'll just leave you in here for the night. Doesn't matter to me."

"Shouldn't get so mad, just cause you didn't pick someone more compliant for your stupid experiments." Instead of answering him, she pulled a syringe out of her pocket and quickly stuck it in his arm, receiving an angry sound from him.

"Aw did that hurt? You'd better just get used to the idea that you belong to us now and we're going to do whatever we want. There really is no guarrantee of your survival in the end of all of this." He didn't bother responding as his head dropped off to the side and he closed his eyes. "Mmm, these drugs work pretty fast." Finishing up, she turned off the light and left the room.


	14. Chapter 14

As soon as the door closed, Ed opened his eyes again. He would have to work fast since he wasn't sure how much time he had before the drugs really did take affect. When the nurse left him alone earlier to eat his dinner, he'd used the back of the fork to unscrewed the screws some on his automail, causing the top plate to be loose. Turning his arm some, he started to rub the edge of the plating against the strap. Although he didn't have much space to move, it was starting to work. It had taken a lot of thought to figure this plan out but even with a limited thought process, he was still pretty sharp.

It took several minutes but finally he forced his arm up and the band around it snapped with little effort. Sitting up some, he got his other arm unbuckled and pulled the line from his wrist, leaving the needle still embedded. He would have to leave it for now. Dr. Kaitlynn's crucial mistake was giving him that shot of adrenaline. It would have been fine if he wasn't able to get up, however it was counteracting the other drugs so that he could think just clear enough. As he tried to get his legs disconnected from the stirrups he had a difficult time with it and could feel panic setting in. He had to get out of here before someone found him. Trying to tell himself to calm down, he managed to get his legs free and moved off the table. At first his automail leg didn't want to respond, causing him to grab hold of the flat surface. It must have been from the stupid drugs. He would have to actually focus on moving correctly in order to get out of here.

Glancing over at the door, he noticed another white doctor's coat hanging up. Deciding he didn't want to go outside in this indecent flimsy gown he pushed himself to make it over. As he tried to button the front of it, he cringed when he realized how much larger his chest was now. At first it wasn't so bad but over the past day or so it had gotten noticeably bigger. At least bigger for someone who was once very flat in that area. For some reason, part of him wanted to cry at the thought of what they had done to him.

No, he couldn't think about it now. He had to move. There would be time later to feel sorry for himself. Cracking the door open, he peered out to see if the coast was clear. A security guard had his back turned to the exam room and Edward inched out into the hallway. He was pretty sure he was still on the third floor so somehow he's have to get downstairs. Seeing another door at the end of the hall, he moved slowly in that direction. Clumsily he brought his metal foot down too hard on the tile floor and it made a loud clicking sound, causing the security guard to turn around. Thinking fast, Edward dashed into the open maintenance closet. The guard moved past the door and Ed slowly closed it once he was far enough away. Hearing the door close, the large man turned and tried to doorknob, only to realize it was locked.

"Hey I know you're in there, now let me in!" His large fists pounded against the door. Edward was trapped now and would be caught for certain. He turned around to see this was a dead end.

"Come on, you have to figure this out. Think." He brought his hands up on either side of his head as though that would help him to come up with something. Finally he came to the only thing that had gotten him out of so many problems. Clapping his hands, he pressed his palms against the back wall. "Now blow up or something." He used all his thoughts, focusing on the one task before him. The banging had stopped and how he could hear the guard going through his keys to find the right one. He would be in soon enough. "Come on, decompose." He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the wall before him. Finally he could see the transmutation circle clearly in his mind and there was a blue hue through out the entire room. The wall dissolved before his eyes and he could breath a little easier. Edward would never underestimate alchemy again. As the wall opened up, the cement started to form ledges going down the building for him to get to the ground below. It was still raining outside but that didn't stop him.

"This is you're last chance to come out!" The guard must have been close to finding the right key as Ed started to climb down the wall. A little more then half way, his metal foot didn't respond fast enough and he lost his footing. Trying to grip on with his right arm, it completely went limp and he started to fall the rest of the way. There was no time to think, no time to right himself and he landed hard in a pile of trash below. Feeling dazed, he stared up at the dark sky above, unable to process anything at that moment. "You have to move, they're going to find you," he muttered.

On the way down, he'd bit the inside of his mouth and could taste blood. Several flashlights beamed from the opening he created and he saw a couple of nurses along with the security guard looking down. "You have to move now." Saying things out loud was the only way for him to think straight now. Sitting up, his wet hair fell in his face. Somehow he managed to get back on his feet and his metal knee buckled slightly under his weight. "No, stay straight." He knew the staff would be down there in no time and he didn't need any problems moving. Getting around the corner, he got down one of the back alleys. It was unlikely he would get far before they were down there searching for him. Instead of staying in the back alleys which was the most obvious place to hide, he moved out to the street. Even though there weren't many people outside right now, Dr. Kaitlynn's staff wouldn't think to come this way.

If he could just keep focusing on walking normally, he'd be alright. A couple of his steps were unsteady and he stumbled every so often. Glancing down, he realized he was soaked from the rain. The cold seeped into his skin and he found himself shivering. But he had to get away from the clinic. Crossing the street, he found he was starting to feel fatigued. The drugs must have been hitting his system hard now. As he made it into another side street, he found himself grabbing the wall for support. Carefully he reached the end and moved down another dirty alley. Without warning, his metal foot slipped in a puddle of muddy water and he went down again. His mind was telling him to stay there as his eye lids felt heavy. But he couldn't stay here, they'd find him. Willing his right arm to move, he pushed himself back up and walked several more steps, reaching a back doorway to one of the buildings. He walked down the three steps under an awning to get out of the rain. With his strength depleted, he couldn't go any further and slid to the ground. At least it was a little dryer here.

Author's Notes-If I named this chapter I would have called it 'Go Ed go!' :)


	15. Chapter 15

Roy was at the clinic before Dr. Kaitlynn arrived the next morning. As she walked in, he stood and stuck his hand out impatiently.

"Dr. Kaitlynn, Colonel Roy Mustang. I called yesterday." She put on a fake smile and extended her hand to take his and shook it firmly.

"Ah, yes. Sorry for not returning your call. Yesterday was a very busy day."

"I'm sure. If you have time now, can we please talk."

"Absolutely." In the back of her mind, Kaitlynn didn't like being ambushed like this. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain all of her actions. From the sounds of things, it seemed Roy didn't trust her story from the day before. She would have to come up with something quick. She showed him the way back to her office and took her seat. "So I am sure you have some questions for me."

"Actually yes. First I was wondering how Fullmetal is doing?"

"Well it's going to be a slow process and to be honest with you, I am not really sure how he's doing. For some reason he doesn't trust me or my staff. I feel that he's very fragile right now."

"I know you told Lt. Hawkeye he couldn't have any visitors however he's my only lead to finding the two men who did this to him. So I am going to need access to him."

"I understand where you're coming from Colonel, however as I said he's very fragile right now. We actually had to lightly sedate him just to get near him. As soon as I figure out how to reverse this transmutation you can ask him whatever you need for your investigation."

"Unfortunately I can't wait that long. These two alchemists are still on the loose and could still be a threat to him." Kaitlynn decided to bring out the big guns. She dropped the polite grin and leaned forward, lacing her fingers together.

"There are actually two things that are causing a problem right now for both of us. I would like nothing more then to reverse this transmutation and hand him back over so he can get past this entire thing. I had our therapist evaluate him yesterday and the final diagnosis was that this has really taken it's toll on Ed's mental state. He claimed that my whole staff is helping Mercer and Nelson. Now I've known Riza most of my life and as an alchemist you know as well as I do that what was done to him is a taboo that no one should ever do." As touching as her speech was, the Colonel still didn't seem convinced that this was the best plan of action.

"What's the other thing?"

"I performed a pelvic exam yesterday to find out that conception has already taken place." Roy's dark gaze widened in surprise.

"What?" This simple lie was enough to get anyone who questioned her methods or motives to question what the best course was now.

"I'm afraid it's true. He was missing for over a week so it's not impossible that your two wanted men had the time. You can even ask Riza what my initial exam brought to light." Of course what she had told Hawkeye about what Nelson and Mercer had done to Ed was also a lie. She had ordered them not to do anything sexually to Edward until they were sure his female reproductive system was ready for it.

"So if you transmute him back it would terminate the pregnancy?" The doctor nodded back.

"As you can see this is a difficult decision to make." Just as he leaned back in his seat, there was a knock on the office door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Dr. Kaitlynn but we have an emergency." More then willing to leave this meeting, the doctor excused herself and left the office quickly. Roy noticed the file, the doctor left out on the side of her desk. It was labeled 'Elric'. Something in his gut told him he needed to see what was in the folder.

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"The patient escaped last night, ma'am. The evening staff searched the back streets where she went but couldn't find her. It was raining so it made it difficult to find anything." Dr. Kaitlynn stared at the empty exam room where she'd left Edward last night.

"Please get Colonel Mustang. He needs to know about this."

"Yes, ma'am." She had to think and quickly. They had to get Edward back as soon as possible. Roy entered the room and she turned back with false concern written all over her face.

"Colonel, you should have your men looking for Edward as soon as possible."

"How'd he get out of the building?" She led the way to closet that was now missing the back wall. "I see." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, acting somewhat too laid back to her. "Well I'll get my office on this immediately."

"Colonel, he's mental state is very unstable right now. Please tell your people to be careful. I cannot stress this enough."

"I understand. Look, none of us want to see him get hurt and we'll do our best to get him back in your care as soon as possible. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to change my orders to find Fullmetal."

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Roy did as he saw fit, informing his staff about Edward's disappearance. He was hoping he might show up at Central Command, but obviously that was not the case. Splitting the group into teams was the best bet. While he sent Havoc and Breda to the dorms, Alphonse went off on his own which wasn't a surprise at all but then he could handle it. Fury and Falman were sent out as was Armstrong and anyone else he managed to rope in. Finally Mustang and his second in command remained at the main office in case Ed showed up there.

Every hour an announcement went out on the radio, letting citizens know to be on the lookout. Of course they couldn't announce it was the Fullmetal alchemist missing otherwise Mercer and Nelson might hear about it and find him first. Before long the entire city would know that Edward was missing. Roy sat back in his chair between phone calls and removed several papers from inside his jacket. While he only took about half of the file, it was still pretty lengthy. As he started to read, the wording was confusing. Instead of referring to Edward as a 'patient', the term 'specimen' was used. There were several references to the initial transmutation and effects of said practice.

The Colonel stared at it in shock, confused with what he was actually reading. When they found Edward, they looked through the whole lab but never found any of the research materials on Ed's case. This looked an awful lot like that.

"But why does Dr. Kaitlynn have it?" Riza knocked on his door and didn't wait for him to answer before sticking her head in.

"Sir, you've got about four calls on hold. How did you not notice?" He glanced up at her and remembered the box of evidence from the second military lab. "Can you grab me that chimera file you found."

"Fine, but answer the phone."


	16. Chapter 16

"Miss? Miss?" It was still dark when Edward opened his eyes and lifted his head from the soft thing it was laying on.

"Huh, where am I?" He sat up and rubbed the side of his head. He was no longer outside, sleeping on the street but inside what looked like a shop from where he was. An older man leaned over him that he didn't recognize and his initial response was to be apprehensive.

"You've been out all day. We found you behind our store this morning." Getting a better look around him, Ed realized he was on a small cot in what was obviously a stock room. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Is she awake?" The word 'she' caught him off guard and he brought his head up to see a woman walk in holding a cup of steaming liquid. "Poor dear, were you mugged?" Still dazed, it seemed like a believable story so he nodded his head. "Well here, have some tea and just sit tight for now." Taking the cup offered, he took a sip and felt relief sweep over him. For some reason, tears started to cloud his vision. The sweet old man noticed and scratched his head.

"You sure you're alright, Miss?"

"Uh, yeah. It's really good. Thank you."

"It's no problem. You got family in the area or something. Is there anyone we can call."

"I'm part of the military so I can go to the Command Center."

"Those muggers didn't injure you did they? You're such a pretty little thing, I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt you." Instead of being insulted by the 'little' comment, Edward shook his head. And as much as this man wanted to believe it was impossible for anyone to want to hurt Ed in this state, that's all he had experienced for almost two weeks now. It was nice being treated like this for a change.

"No, I really think I'm okay."

"Well we've got a small clinic a little ways down the road here if you need medical attention." He quickly waved his hand back and forth.

"No, there's really no need for that. I'm fine."

"Okay then, well are you hungry at least? Let me go see what we can whip up for you, alright?"

"Thank you." As rude as it normally was to eat and run, he had to get back to Alphonse as soon as possible. About ten minutes went by and the man returned with a sandwich and some chips.

"Come to think about it, we had some military gentlemen stop by looking for someone fitting your profile." The thought brought fear to Ed's eyes and he tried to cover it up quickly. The only way the military would know he was missing was if Dr. Kaitlynn informed them of such. Who knew what kind of lie she told them. He had to find Al or the Colonel, hoping they would believe him.

"Maybe. I'll have to ask my commanding officer later tonight."

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While everyone else had checked in for the night, Alphonse was still out searching the city. Roy had to give him credit, he was more determined then anyone else was although he also didn't have to sleep. The Colonel finally made it back to his house and was busy finishing up the stolen file along with the chimera file from the office. Sure enough the first half of Ed's file was Nelson's and Mercers' work. That fact alone made the good doctor very suspicious. Even beyond the two maniacs notes being mixed in with hers, the own doctor's notes and observations disturbed Roy just as much as the rest of it. She didn't seem to interested in returning Ed to the way he was, she seemed content with keeping him the way he was now. At least the was what he got from her notes.

Quietly, he poured himself a drink when he heard a knock at the front door. It was after midnight which meant visitors were pretty scarce. Part of him wondered if it was Dr. Kaitlynn, now aware that some of her work had been stolen. Regardless, of who it was he walked over, drink in hand and yanked the door open.

The blond female standing on the other side of the door caught him off guard. She was dirty and had dried up blood on her face. All in all she looked pretty rough. His eyes met hers and there was no doubt it was Ed. Roy smiled at him, relieved that Edward was safe but decided to test the waters to make sure the teen really wasn't crazy.

"As much as I appreciate a booty call, I am pretty sure you're a little young." At first the response was a shocked look followed by an annoyed one.

"You're such a pervert." The words came out in a nasty but slightly joking tone. Roy gestured him in quickly. Locking the door behind them, Mustang turned to immediately notice Ed's gate, when he wasn't limping, seemed less masculine. If he didn't know the kid personally, he would have thought he was a girl. Taking a seat on the couch, he leaned his head back and let out a tired sigh and stretched his legs out in front. Nope, he was still Ed despite how he looked.

"So I've been told you're crazy and I need to bring you back to the clinic right away." The blond's head shot back up and he placed his hands up almost in a surrendering motion.

"Aw come on, you're not really gonna do that are you? Not without hearing my side of things." Roy leaned against the door frame and took a sip of his drink.

"I was told you were unstable and dangerous to yourself as well as others. Doesn't sound any different from normal."

"Haha. You're so funny. You don't even know what I've been through." He sat up some and dropped his gaze.

"Actually after some not so light reading I've got a pretty good idea." Mustang pulled out the papers he'd been reading most of the day. "It's Dr. Kaitlynn's file on you plus Nelson and Mercer's notes on the transmutation." He placed it on the coffee table and Ed's gaze shifted to the stack before him. "We thought we could trust her. I can't tell you how bad I feel about all this."

"Yeah well as long as we can find a way to fix this. Then they would have no need for me and can leave me the hell alone. So other then telling you that I am crazy, what other lies did she tell you?"

"There is one thing that I'm not sure about." The Colonel stared down at his drink, reluctant to share this potentially damaging information. "Ed,...do you know if you're pregnant?"

"What? She told you that?"

"Well let's face it, crazy pregnant girl is easier to sell isn't it? That was also her reasoning for not transmuting you back yet." Edward stood up, almost dramatically and grit his teeth.

"Well I'm not." Roy still seemed hesitant.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Really? While there's a lot I don't know about I do know sex has to happen in order to get someone pregnant. Thus I am not."

"That's a relief."

"So where's Alphonse?" Edward rubbed his head, feeling a little flushed.

"Still out looking for you. He should come back here though when he's done."

"Okay..." Edward swayed on his feet, feeling lightheaded and a little hot.

"You should probably get some sleep, you look tired." Before Ed could say anything back, his knees caved under him. As he started to go down he felt Roy quickly grab him, holding him up. "Yeah you've had a lot going on, you need to sleep. Come on." He lifted Ed's small figure and headed back to his guest room. The feeling of being carried and not held down was nice and Ed had no complaints of being moved so easily. Once he placed Ed down, he noticed the needle still in his arm.

Edward didn't even realize he left the room, as he tried to figure out what was going on. The drugs had to be out of his system by now but he didn't feel right. Roy was back in the room and now attempting to get the needle out.

"You're lucky you didn't get this infected." There was a groan in response. When he was finished, he cleaned it up and bandaged Ed's arm. Moving up to his face, he wiped the blood off his chin as well. Edward's amber gaze locked onto Mustang's face. He noticed his features that he hadn't before and couldn't help but wonder why now. Brushing the feeling off, he closed his eyes. Once Roy cleaned his face up as best he could, he left again only to return with a pair of black sweat pants and a white t-shirt. "This is all I've really got that would remotely fit you." He laid them at the end of the bed. "Since Als' staying here anyway, you can stay as well I guess."

"Aw, what I don't get to sleep in your room like all the other girls," Edward sounded like he was half out of it by now. Roy raised an eyebrow at the statement.

"Right. Sure. Anyway, I'll see you in the morning." He pulled the covers up and turned the light out, closing the door behind him. Heading out to the kitchen, he scribbled a quick note for Alphonse and took the stolen file into his room. Alphonse probably shouldn't read it. Turning the lights off, he headed in for the night.


	17. Chapter 17

"Let me get this straight, you lost her?" Mercer had to wait until the military activity died down some around the clinic before showing up again. Dr. Kaitlynn sneered at the obvious response, although he couldn't see her face since she had her back to him as she stared out the window.

"Actually it gets worse then that. Most of the file is missing. I noticed it after a meeting with Colonel Mustang. So I have a feeling that he doesn't trust me as much as I was hoping."

"You could always seduce him. Got nothing to lose. So what are we going to do about our experiment missing?" He had noticed she didn't seem too concerned about their predicament. He couldn't understand why, since she had lost the confidence of the military. If they found Ed, they weren't going to hand her back over to her now.

"Edward will come back on her own."

"And what makes you think that would ever happen."

"Because I drugged her." Mercer snorted back at her explanation.

"Don't you think they've worn off by now. She's been missing for over twenty four hours." She turned around and leaned on the back of her chair.

"Not these ones. After all we were getting to the breeding part of the experiment. We needed her more cooperative. We've already done a lot to her, I just didn't feel it would be right to force her. So I mixed in a slow releasing aphrodisiac. By this evening, she probably would have consented to anything if she hadn't gotten away. The effects won't be as intense now since I wasn't able to keep up the dosage. At first she'll try to rationalize how her body starts to react but eventually she'll have to come to the only person who knows what's going on."

"I have a hard time believe that." Kaitlynn smiled at the challenge."

"You underestimate how strong my medication can be."

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Edward jerked away, sitting up suddenly from another nightmare. He wondered how long these memories would torment his attempts to sleep. Covering his face, he realized he was drenched in sweat. Shakily, he got up and noticed the clothes on the end of the bed. Grabbing them, he opened the door and headed down the dark hallway.

"Bathroom, bathroom. It's gotta be somewhere," he whispered to himself. Finding a door at the end of the hallway, he tried the light and was glad he guessed right. Grabbing the washcloth on the counter, he dabbed his forehead. It was difficult to avoid his reflection. He was still awfully dirty. The once white coat he was still wearing was now brown while his hair looked dingy. Locking the door, he decided a bath would be nice. As the tub filled with water, he started to unbutton the coat. Once again he caught his reflection and sighed. "Guess I'm gonna have to see myself like this eventually." Looking up, it was like looking at a complete stranger. It didn't look like him at all. "I'm all curvy and I swear I got smaller."

Despite his complaint, he was still blushing at the fact he was technically looking at a naked girl. His automail seemed bulky in comparison to the rest of him. It was obviously straining his neck on the one side. Now that he thought about it, his metal limbs did feel heavier then normal. He dropped the coat on the floor and turned around. "At least I'm cute as a girl. Just in case I am stuck like this." Although he was joking, he really couldn't stay like this. If anything, his escape from the clinic revealed how limited this body was. Completely not suited for his life style. "And I'm really skinny."Noticing a mark in between his shoulder blades, he brushed his hair out of the way. In the center of his back was a transmutation circle tattooed into his skin. He honestly didn't remember when they did that. It looked like it had been there awhile since there was no irritation. Eventually he just shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the bath. The water was the perfect temperature as he sunk into the tub and let out a sigh. Lazily his eyes wondered to his left arm and he noted the bandage, Mustang had put there. Raising his arm up, he dropped further into the water, getting his hair completely wet.

"Oh yeah, he got that needle out earlier." It was a bit hazy but he remembered. He thought about how close the Colonel had gotten to him and how nice he felt. He had been treated so roughly lately that for some reason Mustang going out of his way to be nice really seemed to make an impact on Ed's mind. He suddenly felt very flushed again and couldn't tell if it was from the water or something else. Letting his thoughts wonder, he starting wondering about what Dr. Kaitlynn had done to him right before his last bath. He couldn't figure out what the reason behind the nice treatment had been. Now that he was alone, he had to admit to himself that it was one of the most amazing things he'd probably felt in his life. It had been so intense and he wondered if he'd ever feel like that again. Deciding he needed to think about something else, he reached over for the soap and started scrubbing.

Once again, it was hard to ignore the changes, even using his automail arm. Eventually he had to wash his chest and he couldn't help but think about that feeling again. It invaded his thoughts and he dropped his heavy arm down. It landed between his legs, brushing sensitive places. His entire body felt really hot and he swore if he concentrated long enough on this one thought long enough he could feel that same feeling again. Before he was aloud to think about it any further, there was a sudden knocking in the door, snapping him out of it.

"Edward, are you in there? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just thought it'd be smart to get cleaned up."

"It's like three in the morning." By this point the conversation was irritating the teen.

"I didn't think it'd be a problem."

"As long as you're alright." At least this back and forth managed to settle his thoughts some and he didn't feel so hot. Finishing up, he got out of the tub and dried off quickly. Throwing on the clothes Mustang let him borrow, he finally opened to door and frowned.

"Why are you still out here?"

"You didn't answer me, so I waited." Roy's dark eyes locked with Ed's and he let out an annoyed sound.

"And stop doing that." He pushed past him to head back to his bedroom.

"Stop doing what? Looking at you when you're talking?"

"And great job on the _white_ t-shirt." Roy found himself following Ed down the hall while they argued.

"It was all I had. Unless you want a uniform, get over it. And besides you shouldn't flatter yourself."

"Hey I finally got a good look at myself and I'm pretty cute like this. Not that I want to stay this way or anything. But at least I'm not ugly." He started to dry his hair more as he sat on the bed. Roy stood in the doorway. Why he didn't just go back to sleep, he wasn't sure. Usually he didn't think straight when going down to Ed's level in an argument.

"Like I said don't flatter yourself. And I've dated a lot of woman, you're not that cute."

"Really, what's wrong with me?"

"Well for one: you're a minor. Two: you're really too small now." That one caused Ed to grit his teeth. "Three: you're a blond and four: you're ED. Now that we're finished with this stupid conversation, I'm going to bed." He turned off the light before things could get any more heated.

Author's notes-sorry Ed/Roy fans, that's not where this is going, but rest assured I'll messed with the two of them quite a bit. D


	18. Chapter 18

Roy knew he must have been working too hard lately since he fell back asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Before his alarm went off the next morning he noticed an extra weight in the bed. Searching his memory, he couldn't remember bringing a woman home last night. But the warmth coming from behind him was definitely from a person. A grin spread across his face as he enjoyed the moment. The woman behind him pressed up more against his back and the grin dropped into a frown. The night before came back to mind as he felt a cold metal foot brushed against his leg. He had never bolted faster from his bed as he spun around to see Edward still sleeping soundly. He sighed loudly and decided it would be best to put him back in the guest room.

"God, he's heavier then he looks." He had a difficult time lifting the teen. Just as he made it into the other room, there was a knock at the front door. "That's just great," he grumbled. After dropping Ed on the mattress, he hurried back to his room to get dressed.

Lt. Havoc knocked loudly on the door while Lt. Hawkeye placed her keys in her pocket. Both had been summoned here by Colonel Mustang and had no idea what was going on. He hadn't come into the office today which was odd for him. Usually he was there before anyone else was. No one could even remember the last time he called in sick. After waiting a couple of seconds, he answered the door and not saying anything, he stepped aside to let them in. He wasn't in his uniform, wearing a gray button down shirt and a pair of jeans. He also seemed out of breath but neither one of them bothered to ask why.

"So what is this all about, Sir," Jean asked, taking a seat on the couch.

"We have stuff we need to go over. I found out some interesting information yesterday. For starters," he made eye contact with Riza. "Dr. Kaitlynn has been working with Mercer and Nelson this whole time." Concern and disbelief took over her features and she found herself sitting down as well.

"But she's been my friend for so long. How could she hurt Ed?"

"When I met with her yesterday I took most of the file she had put together and it had notes in it from Lab 2. There's no way she could have gotten those unless she knew the two of them." Riza shook her head, not wanting to believe this fact. "You're more then welcome to read the file, although it might just make you hate her even more."

"Why didn't you tell us though. Why wait till now if you found this out yesterday?" Riza was obviously upset by this new information.

"Lieutenant, keep it together. I know how you feel. I trusted her too." He sighed loudly, placing his hands in his pockets and walking closer to the two of them. "I had to make sure, I needed to talk to Fullmetal first."

"But he's still missing and even if you did talk to him, didn't you say he's gone all mental or something," Havoc pointed out. Before Roy could respond, there was the sound of a door down the hallway opening up.

"Aw crap," he grumbled and Havoc cracked a wide grin.

"What's the matter, Colonel? Have someone sleep over last night?"

"You're so barking up the wrong tree, Havoc." Leaning back, Havoc tried to see who was coming out. His mischievous grin turned into a shocked look on his face when he realized it was Ed.

"So I've gone mental have I?" The blond didn't seem to appreciate comment about his state of mind.

"You really are a girl?" Jean couldn't help but stare, making Edward even more irritated.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" He came into the living room and lazily flopped down next to Riza. She felt like she should be apologizing, but glancing over at him, he didn't really seem to be upset with her. She was relieved that everything Kaitlynn told her wasn't true. It was good to see he still seemed rational.

"So I don't want to call off the search for Ed, even though he's no longer missing. However we still need to track down Nelson and Mercer." At the mention of their names, Riza caught Ed shiver out of the corner of her eye. In that one slight flinch she could tell he really wasn't over all of this. He was probably just shutting most of it out.

"Sir, where is Alphonse," Riza changed the subject.

"I'm not sure, guess he didn't come home last night." Ed couldn't help but feel bad that Al was still out there, looking for him. His gaze moved back over to see Havoc still looking at him.

"I thought I told you to quit that. I expect the Colonel to be a pervert but not you."

"It's just so weird. You look like Ed, but then..." He gestured to the rest of Ed's body.

"Okay, we really need to focus and hey, I'm not that obvious."

"I don't stare at women like that when I'm interested in them," Havoc defended himself causing Riza to place her head in her palm and letting out a sigh. She should have been used to this, being the only woman in the office. "It's just, he doesn't even look like a kid anymore." Edward rolled his eyes.

"Can we just change me back now. There's no reason to stay like this any longer. It's...uncomfortable."

"Yeah, about that. I still don't know how to reverse it." Roy scratched the back of his head. "I looked all through those notes and can't figure it out. I think the only person who would know is Dr. Kaitlynn."

"So you're saying I might be stuck like this?" This news made Ed feel uneasy.

"I'm not saying that at all. We'll figure it out. If nothing else when we finally find Nelson and Mercer, maybe we can bargain with them. Or even Dr. Kaitlynn." Ed slouched more and sighed loudly.

"Like they're gonna help. If I couldn't convince them, what chance do you have?" He shivered again.

"Even without them. I'm sure there are other alchemists that know how to fix this," Lt. Hawkeye assured him. He brought his knees up to his chest and leaned into his legs.

"If two State alchemists can't figure it out, what chance does anyone else have." The thought of staying like this made him feel depressed.

"We'll figure this out, Ed. You don't have to worry." Despite what Mustang said though, Edward just started to shake his head. For some reason he was having a hard time dealing with all of this. Without saying anything else, he got up and headed for the bathroom. Riza felt horrible for him.

"This is really starting to get to him. I thought he was okay last night but now I don't know," Roy explained to them.

"Maybe if you get the rest of that file. You know the one you stole. Maybe the answer is in there," Havoc suggested. He didn't know anything when it came to alchemy but he did know that there really was no limit to what it could do."

"I've even thought about bringing him back to one of the military's labs to see if they could figure something out but I don't think I could do that to him. He'd probably hate me for it."

"Maybe not. You saw how upset he was about the idea of staying like this," Riza stood from the couch and motioned for Havoc to follow her. "We're not getting anything done by sitting around here. Let's get back to the search." Roy nodded at her and was thankful that she wouldn't let him give up on this. As he opened the door for them, she turned back and attempted a feeble smile. "Sir, maybe you should take the day off too. Might be good for Ed to have some company."

"I don't know if he really wants me around but I'll give it a try. I've got a couple of other things I've been putting off that I should get done too."

"Just don't kill each other." He rolled his eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

There was no denying the sound on the other side of the door. Ed was being sick. Roy was hesitant to knock but being as stubborn as he was, he brought his knuckles against the door. There was no answer and he knew that meant Ed needed to be alone.

"Hey Ed, if you need anything just let me know. Alright?" There was a sniffle in response and it just made Mustang feel even worse. 'Oh great, I made him cry.' That thought going through his head made him wish even more that he knew how to fix this. But he hadn't given up yet. Heading back to the living room, he picked up the stack of papers he left on the coffee table and took a seat. There had to be some clue that he'd miss. Maybe reading it a second time with the intention of finding a solution, would be obvious now. He knew he was being optimistic but he had to try.

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Alphonse had been all over the city and now found himself standing outside the clinic. He had wondered around in the back alley some, finding the hole in the wall that his brother created. Shaking his head, he realized that all this searching with no results just made him worry even more for Ed's safety. Wondering back to the front, he went inside and headed for the main desk. The nurse was on the phone but gawked at the suit of armor standing before her.

"Uh, let me call you back. Right. Thanks, bye." She placed the receiver down, still staring at Al. "Can I help you?" Alphonse sheepishly placed his hand behind his head.

"I was just wondering if Dr. Kaitlynn was in."

"She's actually out right now, but if you want to come back later she should be in this afternoon."

"I don't mind waiting. Thanks."

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At some point Edward came out of the bathroom. He'd been in there for quite a while, only to find the house empty.

"Well that's great." He frowned and headed into the kitchen to look for something to eat. He felt a little flushed and wondered why it was so hot in the house. Opening the refrigerator, the cool air made him feel better. Noticing the contents of the fridge left much to be desired, he closed it. A pile of papers sitting out on the table caught his eye and he moved over to see what it was. After several words jumped off the page, he could feel his stomach twist in response and that same hot feeling came back. This time it was worse and he backed away from the table and headed to the guest room. This feeling was making it hard to think straight. He shut the door and landed on the bed with the thud. Was this an after effect of the drugs or the transmutation? He turned his head to the side so he could breath easier. Another wave of what he could only deem discomfort ran up his entire body, causing him to grip at the pillow under his head. "What is this?" His skin felt like if it was on fire. This time the intense sensation was accompanied with a dull pain in his mid section. Reaching his real arm down, he clutched at his stomach. He lifted his head to cry out but a soft moan was all he managed. Gradually it slowed down till it was completely gone. Now drained of what little energy he had, he decided to stay where he was until he fell asleep.

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He wasn't sure how long he slept, but it was the sound of the front door closing that woke him up. Then there was the sound of laughter. It was a woman's laughter. And then he heard Mustang, using his 'hey, aren't you so impressed with me' voice. Edward rolled onto his side, annoyed that he had been woken up. And on top of all that, how could the Colonel go on a date with all that was going on. How did he have the time for such things? An evil idea entered the teens mind and he grinned maniacally to himself as the idea became a plan. It sounded like the two of them were having a great time as they chatted on the couch.

There was the sound of a door squeaking open from down the hall and around the corner. Roy raised an eyebrow, wondering if Ed was going to come out here. He had hoped he'd have enough sense to just remain in his room.

"Roy...hun? Are you back yet?" The sing song tone from down the hallway caught both Roy's and his company's attention. The Colonel's face became ghostly pale and the woman narrowed her gaze at him.

"Is there someone else here?" Her words came out in a nasty tone.

"Um, well." Ed practically skipped down the hallway and landed on the couch, between the two of them.

"Did you bring me anything to eat? I'm starving." Ed batted his eyelashes and hugged on Roy's neck. His one eye twitched while his mouth hung open. "Hey, Roy? Who's this?" The brunette sitting across from him stood to her feet, glaring down at him.

"I'm leaving." She rushed out in a hurry, slamming the door in her wake. Mustang stared at the closed door for only a minute before sending his daggers in Ed's direction. By now the teen was laughing so hard, he almost fell on the floor.

"You should see you're face. It's priceless!"

"Ed, what the hell was that for!"

"Oh come on, how do you have time right now to go on a date? You said you'd try to fix this." The Flame alchemist was not deterred from the fact that Ed had just totally embarrassed him.

"I had to go get a book from the library for research on your 'condition'. When I stopped for lunch, I ran into her and she asked to stop by the house for a drink." Ed crossed his arms and scoffed back.

"It's a little early in the day."

"I can't believe you just did that. She probably thinks I'm some kind of perverted child molester." He covered his face with his hands. Edward stood up pushing his hair behind his shoulder.

"Yeah well, she's half right." Roy frowned and glared at him. He grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard.

"That wasn't funny, Ed." He stared hard into the blonds eyes, beyond all joking.

"So stop looking at me like that! Between you and Havoc, I feel like a piece of meat." The Colonel didn't look away though.

"Maybe you did go a little crazy. No one is checking you out or whatever you think is going on." Suddenly that feeling started to creep up on Ed. Before Roy let him go, he felt his shoulders jolt, involuntarily. Ed's amber gaze dropped and he felt like he was burning up. And then there was the same pain from before only this time it was worst. He suddenly dropped to his knees. Roy stared down in shock. "Hey, what's going on?" Edward started to breath uneasily almost as though he was panting. The sensation caused his whole body to shake in response. He couldn't stop it and found himself whimpering this time. Mustang knelt down and placed a hand on his back, hoping it would help. The contact only seemed to make it worse though as Edward gasped for more air. Roy took his hand away, unsure of what to do. It was difficult to tell if Ed was in pain or not.

Author's notes- okay seriously if this chapter cracked you up you must review.


	20. Chapter 20

Roy did the only thing he could think of and picked Edward up, bringing him back to his room. Edward pressed his face against Mustang's chest, noticing he smelled like smoke and soap all at the same time. He couldn't help but wonder how that was possible. He tried to glance up and in the process brushed his mouth against Roy's neck. It caused him to tense some, knowing that if Ed was in his right mind, he would never have done something like that. Not even by accident. Just carrying him several feet seemed to cause the symptoms to worsen. Making it to the bedroom finally, He placed Edward down on the bed and turned the fan on overhead.

"There, you just have to try and calm down." He stood up. Ed's lust filled gaze wondered up to see the seriously concerned look on Roy's face. "If this gets any worse, I don't know what to do," The Flame alchemist admitted, rubbing his forehead. It was so clear that this wasn't normal for the teen. As another spasm ran it's course through Edward's body he bit his bottom lip and moaned again. Roy honestly thought about throwing a bucket of water on him. It was the only solution he could think of and frankly it could be considered revenge for earlier. Ultimately he decided against the idea, since Ed was wearing a white t-shirt and that really would nominate Roy for being a perverted child molester. "Maybe a real hospital would know what to do." Even though he'd said this under his breath, it was clear Edward he heard him and shook his head.

"I'll...I'll be okay...it'll pass." He tried to take several deep breaths. "But...you're making it worse. You've gotta go." The Colonel let out a quick breath in response.

"Now who's looking at who? It's not my fault I'm so attractive." Edward let out another pleasant sound before gritting his teeth in response

"I said...get out!" Deciding it was for the best, he exited the room, closing the door. He figured that Ed had a better idea of what this was and how to handle it best. Quietly he went back into the living room and started reading the book he got earlier. It was one of the few books that even mentioned anything about chimera engenderation. Although Ed was a human, he was sure the same principles applied. Just as he started to settle down, he heard a loud moan from the back room.

"Oh tell me he's not going to start doing that." Roy wanted to cover his ears as another sweet sound came from the other State alchemist. "Dammit, Ed. I can't concentrate with you doing that." After a couple more minutes, he got up and headed out to the front porch in order to get some peace and quiet.

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Dr. Kaitlynn was very disappointed when she returned to her office to find that Edward hadn't returned yet. She honestly believed that the effects of the drugs would have driven him right back here. No one else would know how to deal with the problem but her.

"Guess he's more resilient then I thought. Of course that was one of the reasons we chose him." Heading back out into the hallway, one of the nurses noticed her and caught her attention.

"Ma'am, you have another visitor today." She glance over the top of her glasses out of curiosity. Walking into the waiting room, it was pretty much impossible for her to miss the suit of armor waiting patiently for her. Although she really hadn't met him, she knew this was Edward's brother. The way he nervously looked at the floor and anxiously rocked back and forth, there was no denying it.

"You're Alphonse, right? Edward's older brother?" She walked over, extending her hand.

"Oh, but I'm not older. So you're Dr. Kaitlynn? I actually wanted to talk to you about my brother." Surprised that he didn't find her suspicious, she grinned even more and offered for him to follow her back to the office.

"You must be so worried about his safety. I know I am," she mused as they made it into the office.

"Yes, this whole thing has been so hard on him, I wish he'd just let us all help him."

"I know what you mean. So what can I help you with?"

"Well I was wondering if you would have any ideas where he'd go. I was told that he's not really thinking straight and I need to find him before something bad happens."

"Have you had an opportunity to talk to Colonel Mustang today? Maybe they've already found him. Anything is possible."

"But if they found him, shouldn't they bring him back here?"

"Well they need to but I don't know if they'll believe what I have to say or listen to Edward. He's very confused right now and I am sure he could convince them easily that not coming back here is in his best interest." Al had known of other situations where Ed had rationalized not going to the doctor. Sure then, his excuses weren't the best but he was more rational back then.

"Could I borrow your phone to call the Colonel." The doctor happily offered the one sitting on her desk.

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The phone rang loudly through out the house. Roy didn't seem to hear it from outside. Ed wearily got up and headed out to the kitchen. For some reason the feeling from before didn't completely subside, leaving a tingling feeling mostly in his mid section. It took every bit of strength for him to focus on anything else. Snatching up the phone, he placed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Brother?"

"Alphonse? Where are you?"

"Me, I'm at the clinic with Dr. Kaitlynn. Brother, you need to come back here." Edward grit his teeth at the predicament as well as the twinge of pain in his stomach.

"Al, listen to me carefully. You have to get out of there, she's dangerous."

"Brother, I don't think you realize how sick you are." Ed found himself leaning against the wall for support. It seemed the sudden fear for Al's life affected how he felt too.

"Please Al, just come back to Mustang's house. We'll explain everything to you. But you have to leave the clinic first." Kaitlynn extended her hand for the receiver.

"Hang on a second, okay." Alphonse handed it over to her. Covering the speaker, she continued to smile at the suit of armor.

"Alphonse, could you go out in the hallway for a second while I speak to your brother. Doctor/patient confidentiality." Politely Al excused himself, leaving the office.

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"Alphonse, hey where'd you go? Alphonse!"

"Now now, there's no need to shout."

"You..." More discomfort hit Ed's body and he couldn't help but groan softly to himself. She heard it and smiled happily.

"Doesn't sound like you're feeling so good. Guess you're still not use to those female hormones yet."

"So that's what this is." He clenched his midsection again, trying to block the feeling out. The front door opened and Roy walked in, immediately noticing Ed on the phone.

"And thanks to the drugs, it'll just get worse and worse. So you should really consider coming back here and letting me take care of it."

"I'd rather die." His voice came out threateningly as he hunched over more.

"I would prefer it not coming to that since you're so important to us. However Alphonse isn't." The threat caused Edward's whole body to visibly tense up.

"You leave him out of this. You hear me?" She laughed in response.

"We'll just have to see what happens, I suppose." With that she got off the phone and Ed slammed his end down hard. He started shaking even more then before, every muscle twitching uncontrollably from the fear for Al's safety.

"Dammit..." Hearing the stress in his voice, Roy headed over, placing his book down on the table.

"What happened?" Ed took a minute to compose himself, or at least the best way possible.

"She's got Al..." He sucked in a deep breath, desperate to think clearly. "I don't even think he knows it."

"We'll get him back. Don't worry." Despite the confidence in his voice through, Ed wasn't so easily swayed. Finally he turned and barely met Roy's gaze.

"I...I can't take much more of this. I'm gonna lay down again." The Colonel's brow knitted together with concern. If only he could get Ed back to normal and then they could get Al back.


	21. Chapter 21

"Fullmetal, hey come on wake up." Ed could feel himself being shaken and he turned his head away, trying to stay asleep. "Ed, wake up!" He finally squinted up, an annoyed look on his face.

"What do you want?"

"We're meeting Lt. Hawkeye and Havoc. So get up." Letting out an annoyed sound, he rolled over with his back facing the Colonel.

"I don't want to." Roy thought about arguing the point more but decided to take a different approach.

"Guess you're not hungry then either." Edward turned slightly with one eye open.

"I'm listening."

"I was gonna stop on the way and grab something to eat but if you're not hungry then I'll just go by myself." Standing up, he left the room. Before long he heard Ed's uneven footsteps behind him.

"Alright, I'm in." The Colonel was glad he'd convinced him to come along. After he walked in earlier to see Ed having such a difficult time, he worried that he would just give up all together.

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When the two State alchemists entered the office, Hawkeye and Havoc were already there. Before arriving, Ed decided to stop by the dorm and change into some of his own clothes that actually fit him. Of course he was still limited to what fit this body so he ended up wearing his black pants and tank top, although even that was uncomfortable. He had his red jacket on as well and kept it closed, trying to hide the progressive feminine curves.

"Uh Sir, is there any particular reason we're meeting this late?" Havoc pointed to the clock as they all sat around the room.

"There's a possibility that Alphonse is in danger. Ed spoke with Dr. Kaitlynn earlier today on the phone."

"But what can they do with Al," Havoc leaned back, placing his arm on the back of the couch.

"For right now it seems that shes' using him for leverage. Needless to day, tomorrow morning we're going to go in there and shut the entire clinic down. I want to sit down with Dr. Kaitlynn and find out what she knows. This has gone on long enough and I'm tired of not having answers."

"Did you find anything in that report," Riza inquired, glancing over at Ed. He seemed to be handling things a little better right now, even with Al being used against him. He seemed to be deep in thought though and she figured he was trying to come up with some way to help Alphonse.

While it was true that he was deep in thought, it wasn't about Al that Ed was thinking of. For some reason he'd gotten side tracked by something that he'd never even thought about.

'So I get why women like the Colonel. He gets that stupid cocky grin on his face and you have to wonder whats' so amusing.' His gaze moved from Mustang over to Havoc. 'And if Havoc wasn't soo pushy I'm sure he could get a nice girl. He comes across as needy though most of the time. But it's not like he's bad looking or anything.' Ed leaned on his hand while he evaluated the two of them. Where the idea came from, he had no idea.

"Does everyone understand their part in this tomorrow?" The Colonel had finished briefing them and Ed had managed to miss the whole thing. Instead of going through the embarrassment of asking what he was suppose to do, he just nodded back. Besides the plan didn't matter all that much to him since he had his own idea of what he was going to do.

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Alphonse didn't recognize this building as being used by the military. There was no indication that they used it at all. Wondering inside, he called out for anyone who was there.

"Hello? I was sent here by Dr. Kaitlynn. Is anyone still here." He could hear some noise in one of the back rooms and hurried in that direction. At first he thought that this particular building was just used for storage but the further he went the more he realized something else was happening here. Opening one door, he found the room lined with cages of different kind of chimeras. It made him feel uneasy and he moved onto the next room. He really just wanted to get out of here and go back to the Colonel's house to see his brother. However Dr. Kaitlynn had sent him here for some information that could help turn Edward back. It would be great to be able to tell his older brother that it was possible. Making it into another room, this one looked an awful lot like Mercer and Nelson's lab from before. As uncomfortable a place like this made him feel, he had to keep going. The only thing that seemed out of place was a couple of papers out on one of the metal tables.

Alphonse picked one up to look over. Gasping loudly, he realized that this report had to do with Ed and he immediately started to collect it. The door slammed behind him, causing his attention to go towards the door.

"Well well, she said you'd show up but I didn't expect you to be so nosy." Nelson stood there with an evil grin on his face and a gun in his hand. Al turned towards him, his fists balled up in front to defend himself.

"You're one of the men who changed my brother."

"You were there so you would know. I heard he hasn't been doing so well lately." Nelson smirked, thinking he had Al at a disadvantage.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did."

"Like you did last time, funny I don't think so, considering you're all alone."

"We'll just see about that." Al clapped his hands together to form himself a weapon. "I take people hurting my brother very seriously."

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Another weird dream brought Ed back to consciousness. Of course he was glad to be awake otherwise he couldn't go through with his plan. However, he was hoping he'd gotten past this weird sensation. It was minimal for now but he never knew when it would get worse. Even so, he was determined and had already made up his mind. Quickly he swung his legs off the bed, getting his boots on, then ran his fingers through the tangled mess that was his hair before pulling it all back in a ponytail. In all of this he felt as though he'd lost some of his identity. It had knocked him down and he hadn't bothered to get back up. His pride had taken a blow and unfortunately for those who were responsible, they had just fired him up when they decided to take Alphonse. He had been so down about all of this but now he was done with feeling sorry for himself. Quietly he opened his window, trying to keep from waking the Colonel. He knew if he'd told him his plan that Roy wouldn't agree to it. Once he landed outside, he had to stop for a second as that feeling began to increase again. Giving it a couple of seconds, he waited for it to become dull. If nothing else, he was going to find out if there really was a way to reverse this. Realizing how far away the clinic was he wished he didn't have to walk it. Letting out a tired sigh, he picked up the pace.

"Wish Mustang had a car I could steal."


	22. Chapter 22

The staff ran from the clinic. No one really knew what was going on. Smoke filled the hallways and blue sparks bounced off the walls as alchemy warped everything and anything in it's way. There was no creative thought behind the chaos. Dr. Kaitlynn could hear the roar of destruction and hurried out of her office just as the walls, ceiling, and floor were pushed and stretched in an unnatural way. As the disaster started to come towards her, she knelt down and placed her hand to the floor. The silver bracelet around her wrist began glowing, causing the solid mass to halt before her. Several feet away, the alchemy continued to shift the floor, forcing it open. As she narrowed her gaze, she watched a large cement hand pushed up from below. Edward stood in the center of it holding his weapon of choice, an over decorative staff. Noticing her immediately, he sent his amber daggers in her direction.

"Yo," his mocked greeting only caused her to seethe in response.

"What the hell are you doing to my clinic?" The teen grinned to himself.

"Well you know, I'm not in my right mind. Figured I should remind you who you're dealing with." Without another word, she pressed her palm to the wall, sending a spike out where Ed was. The spike hit his staff at the top, cutting the blades off and leaving him with just the pole. Glancing over at it, he just shrugged and dropped the stick. Clapping his hands together, he touched the top of his automail. He caught Dr. Kaitlynn's worried look as the blade emerged from the metal limb. Walking over to her, he brought his arm up, revealing that he wasn't playing around.

"I'm only going to ask this once. Wheres' Alphonse?"

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Alphonse raised two axes, ready to take on anything Nelson threw at him. The crazy alchemist opened the door, causing Al to gasp. He had released several of the chimeras from the other room.

"You didn't think I was going to fight you, did you," Nelson continued to smirk at him. Al's glare deepened, charging forward as two chimeras came at him. Swinging the one axe down and back up, he hit one of them. The upper cut knocked it off it's feet and slammed it against the wall. Turning quickly, he hit the other one in the side of the head with the back of the axe. The dog like chimera let out a whimper as it limped away, shaking. Alphonse turned back to Nelson who was clapping at his accomplishments.

"That was impressive. But I hope you can handle the other fifteen."

"And when I finish with them, I hope you can handle me!" Nelson moved out of the doorway, allowing the other creatures to enter the room. Alphonse ran at the entrance, hitting a couple more on the way out with the axes. He wasn't going to be confined to such a small room while fighting. He heard Nelson whistle loudly and the chimeras followed him out to the warehouse part of the building. They had the armor surrounded. Moving quickly, Al threw one axe forward and the other one behind him. Two more chimeras went down before he clapped his hands together and pressed them to the cement under his feet. Alchemy caused the entire room to shake in response, bending to his will as he twisted the ground upward, tossing the misshapen animals in all directions. One jumped at him and he pushed off the floor with his hands, kicking it in the air before it reached him. The fight didn't last very long. Nelson turned to run for the exit only for Alphonse to beat him there. Trying to stop short, the frightened man fell backwards hard. Al reached down and grabbed the front of his shirt, bringing him deathly close to his armored face.

"Wh...what are you? You move like nothing I've ever seen."

"I'm the Fullmetal alchemist's younger brother and NO ONE messes with him." Al's voice sounded eerily serious. "Now you're going to tell me how to reverse what you did."

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"Is that why you came, somehow I doubt it." The doctor was pushing her luck by causing Ed to become angry. He brought his blade forward, just missing her face. Despite the closeness of the attack though she continued to grin. Due to his closeness, she could tell he was having a hard time focusing. His breathing was heavier then normal and the blade next to her face was shaking slightly. "You want me to stop the sensations you're experiencing."

"I don't care about how I feel!" He glared down at her angrily.

"So you think you're Colonel can fix you, somehow I have a hard time believing that."

"Shut up! I wouldn't trust him to fix your mess if my life depended on it! But Al and I have been through far worse then anything you could come up with. We'll fix this ourselves."

"I'll never let that happen though." She pressed her hand against the ground without him noticing and the floor shot up, knocking him back. He twisted in the air, landing on his feet. Pushing forward again, he went to strike her this time. Again the floor moved before him and his blade made contact with the wall, made to defend her. Clapping his hands together, he deconstructed the wall. As it vanished, he saw that she was standing now and had her hand pressed to the wall behind her. He couldn't let her transmute again. Running at her full force, something yanked him from behind by his ankles and he fell face first into the deformed floor. Keeping her hand in place, the rest of the third floor started to return to the way it looked before Ed's one man attack. He could feel two more solid snake like objects grab his wrists and yank him up. He was suspended now from the ceiling and struggling didn't do him any good. Kaitlynn composed herself as she straightened her coat and brushed her hair out of her face. Edward couldn't move as she got closer to him. "Nelson isn't gonna like the fact that I smashed your face like that. Oh well. I must say, I wasn't sure if I could go up against a State alchemist. Not too bad, Edward." The more he tried to get free, the more that horrible feeling kicked in, causing his muscles to cramp up from the panic he was experiencing. "Hmm, haven't you figured it out yet? When you get emotional that's when it hits you." She brought her one hand up and touched the blade on his right arm. He watched in horror as she transmuted it back to normal. It was enough to enrage him. No one was allowed to mess with his arm like that.

"Let me go! Haven't you figured out by now that I'm not going to cooperate with you!" She brought her hand down, running her fingers along his stomach and around to his back. Completely ignoring him, she walked behind him as though she was examining her work. He tried to turn to see what she was doing. "Are you listening, dammit!" Both her hands came into view on either side of him and slid under his tank top.

"Mmm," she squeezed the voluptuous breast. "These filled out nicely, wouldn't you say?" The sudden attention caused him to pant in response.

"Quit...quit that. D..don't touch me there." She removed her hands but leaned into his ear, still standing behind him.

"It's simple, really. These are your options: you're either going to fight me every step of the way or let me drug you to the point that you don't care anymore. In one scenario, Alphonse doesn't have to get _involved_." She felt a shiver run up his body and he let out a small gasp. "Understand, Edward? I can make this whole experience feel amazing for you. Or you can keep resisting and I won't be able to guarantee Alphonse' safety. It's your choice."

Author's notes-If that chapter didn't get you fired up, nothin will! Such a fun chapter to write. Please review, I love ya'll's feedback.


	23. Chapter 23

Roy rolled over, hearing his alarm go off. He had never been a 'morning person', to say the least even being in the military as long as he had. One day when he became Furer, early mornings was going to be a thing of the past. Heading into the bathroom, he noticed how one day off had left him looking scruffy. It wasn't just the five o'clock shadow he was sporting, his hair was in complete disorder. But he would worry about how he looked after coffee. Wondering out into the kitchen, he noted how quiet the house was. Maybe Ed wasn't a 'morning person' either. That wouldn't surprise him really. He quietly stared as the coffee maker went to work. His tired gaze moved to the kitchen table, at the notes. Doubt had started to eat away at his past confidence. He wondered if he really did have what it took to get Edward back to normal. The word 'normal' used to mean something completely different for the Elrics. How much more would they have to endure? Shaking the thought away, he poured himself a cup of coffee and took a seat, looking over the notes once more. Just like every other time, it still seemed as though the answers weren't there. After he finished his first cup, he stood from the table and let out a tired yawn. When coffee didn't do the trick, there was always a hot shower that could wake him up. Besides, he didn't think he wanted to listen to Ed ridicule how bad he looked right now. Like the blond had any right to criticize him. A steaming shower really did the trick. Now in uniform and cleaned up, he went down the hall and knocked on the door around the corner.

"Hey Ed. Got some coffee, if you want some. Are you planning on coming with us this morning?" It was kind of a stupid question, of course he was. After everything Dr. Kaitlynn had done to him, why wouldn't he want to be there when Roy called her out on everything. After knocking again, he slowly opened the door. "Fullmetal?" The light breeze from the window blew in and he found himself gritting his teeth in frustration. "And why am I not surprised?"

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The clinic was bustling with activity as staff members picked up paperwork and cleaned up the office and medical supplies. When the military came in, the clinic was starting to have some resemblance of normalcy. It was clear that the staff was not enthused when the Flame alchemist walked in with his two lieutenants. In the back of his mind Roy knew Edward had come here, probably last night in search of Alphonse. The problem he was running into was whether or not Dr. Kaitlynn would cooperate or would he have to demand a search of the premise. Considering how manipulative she had been already, he wondered if she saw this coming and moved Ed to another location.

As much as order had replaced the chaos from the night before, Roy could really only think of one individual who was capable of making such a mess on purpose. And yet he had to hold back a smirk, glad that Edward was able to mess with Dr. Kaitlynn, even a little. It really did serve her right. When he demanded to speak with her, the staff was clearly irritated. The fact that their presence annoyed the people working here amused the Colonel. He wanted them uneasy, he wanted their boss uneasy. After about a half an hour of getting the run around, the three of them were ushered back to the office where they waited even longer.

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Alphonse had finished reading over the pages in front of him, occasionally asking the alchemist tied up on the floor a question. Although Nelson was not the brains behind Ed's current condition, he still had a lot of knowledge. Al was finally starting to understand what he would need to do to get Edward back to normal. He had to let him know as well as the Colonel. Al knew he had been working really hard to help and had been just as frustrated as they had. The door to the warehouse creaked open and Alphonse leaned back to see Mercer walking in.

"Hey Nelson, what's taking you so long? Dr. Kaitlynn needs our help with...," he paused as he took in the corpses cluttering the floor. Before he could ask any questions he caught sight of the very familiar suit of armor, standing off to the side with his hands together. The once silver metal was still covered in blood.

"I've been waiting for you." Before the older alchemist could respond, the floor rose up around him. The shifting cement tightened around him, holding the balding man in place. "Now you're gonna tell me what Dr. Kaitlynn needs you're help with." Mercer glared back at Al.

"I'm not telling you anything." Alphonse walked over, his crimson gaze becoming seriously scary. Leaning over his new prisoner, he got very close to his face.

"I wasn't asking."

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Colonel Mustang was shocked at Dr. Kaitlynn's calm demeanor. Surely she had to know they were onto her. Riza brought her eyes down, not wanting to look her ex friend in the eye. Roy however was sending her daggers, wondering why she didn't seem more concerned.

"Good morning Colonel, how can I help you." Roy leaned forward, bringing his gloved hands together in his lap.

"I'm sure you have some idea as to why we're here."

"Well I would assume it's to check on Edward." It was difficult to tell if she was smiling at the fact that she'd caught them off guard or the look of confusion on Mustang's face. "I can assure you that he is doing much better now. I've gotta say I am happy with the progress we've made." Roy furrowed his brow, confused at what she was getting at.

"What do you mean?" The doctor glanced down at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Actually if you want to speak with him, by all means. I think he can explain it better then I can." Unsure of whether or not she was bluffing, ultimately his purpose for coming here was to get Ed back. However it was difficult to trust someone who had been so obviously not helpful. Reluctantly he nodded in agreement to speak with Ed. He just didn't expect her to allow him to see Edward so soon.

Standing from his seat, Roy moved to follow her out of the office. Before exiting the room, he informed his two lieutenants to remain there till he got back. Dr. Kaitlynn's heels clicked loudly on the tile floor. Although this was a simple clinic, it really felt cold and impersonal. Of course most hospitals felt that way, but for some reason this place felt more like a lab then anything else. He honestly half expected to be brought to a room where Edward was strapped down, helpless and unable to move. But the room she brought him to was nothing that he anticipated. The door was unlocked as she lightly tapped the back of her knuckles against it.

"Edward, you've got a visitor." The blond barely looked up from the bed. He acknowledged Mustang's presence but seemed off. Pulling a chair up for him, Kaitlynn chose to exit the room, leaving the two State alchemists alone. Another move Roy didn't see coming. Edward was not being held against his will. He could walk out of this place at any time, leaving the Colonel to wonder why he was here.

"Ed?"

"I've made a decision to stay like this." Mustang wasn't expecting him to be so blunt.

"But why? After everything she's done to you. Don't act like I don't know." He kept his voice down as he took a seat in the chair.

"It's not as bad as it was. I'm not hurting. Maybe I can handle it better now." Without warning, the Colonel reached over, grabbing Ed by the face and getting a good look in his eyes.

"Did she drug you or something? Just yesterday you said you couldn't handle this anymore, now you want to stay this way." He gestured with his other hand.

"As long as Al is safe, I don't care what they do to me." The statement had made everything clear now.

"And what about what he wants? He's been worried sick about you for days now. Why don't you explain this to him." Edward jerked his face out of Roy's grasp.

"I know what I'm doing! Besides he wouldn't understand."

"So what happens if they kill you then? How does that help him out? And even if they don't go that far, you honestly think they're going to let you walk out of here to continue you're research to get Al's body back?" Edward dropped his head, knowing full well that Mustang was right.

"I don't have a choice in the matter. She's made that very clear." Roy couldn't listen to this any longer. Standing up angrily, he allowed the chair to fall to the ground behind him. He couldn't think of anything else to say in order to get through to Ed. His mind was racing, trying to come up with something to shake him from his foolish decision.

"Tell me one thing then. Do you really want to stay like this?" Ed brought his amber gaze up, meeting the Colonel's onyx stare.

"I want to be left alone." The look in his eyes spoke louder then his words. The defiance was still there, unwavering but at the same time almost trapped. The Colonel had seen this fire before, when they first met and he knew what it meant.

"Fine." With that Mustang turned sharply and left the room, leaving the younger alchemist alone. Kaitlynn was waiting right outside the door, obviously withholding a smirk.

"Do you feel better now that you talked with him?" Roy clenched his fists at his sides before turning back to her.

"This is far from over." Her eyebrow twitched and she pursed her lips in response to the threat.

"We'll just have to see."

Author's notes-I tried to make this chapter a little longer for you guys but I would really like some more reviews. I only got one from the last chapter and it made me sad cause I really had fun writing it. Please send me some love! :)


	24. Chapter 24

Author's note-I must give a shout out to Eternal Love's Eclipse for such an awesome review, it in of itself was a work of art, hehe. I love your game breakdown. As for my frequent updates, I figure I could milk each chapter for more reviews but it's not fair to those who are waiting patiently for the next chapter.

And to Joker Oak, thanks for the review and I hope that I got Chapter 24 out fast enough for you. :)

And Confused Drambler I am glad you liked blood splattered Al. He doesn't really hold back when it's chimeras. And now to Twenty four.

By the time the Flame alchemist made it to his desk, the phone was practically ringing off the hook. He really didn't want to deal with anything else right now. Whenever he got involved in a situation concerning the Elric brothers, it occupied most of his time. Other then being distracted, he was pissed at Ed and worried about Alphonse since no one had seen him for about twenty four hours. Grabbing the phone up rougher then necessary, he practically shouted into the receiver.

"Mustang speaking." His voice came out in a growl.

"Colonel? Hey it's Alphonse. Is everything okay?" Roy breathed a little easier as he sunk into his chair.

"Alphonse? Where have you been? You've had us all worried."

"I found Mercer and Nelson."

"What? How'd you know where they were?"

"Dr. Kaitlynn sent me to this warehouse and Nelson tried to ambush me. I don't know if we can trust her." Roy grinned at the realization.

"Yeah, tell me about it. So you're okay then?"

"Uh huh. Also I found the rest of their research and know how to return Brother to the way he was. Is he with you?" Mustang hesitated with his news about Ed, even though the only person who could knock some sense into the blond was Al.

"Dr. Kaitlynn convinced him that if he didn't go along with their plans then you'd be in danger. At least thats' what I got from the situation. You need to let him know you're okay and that you can fix things."

"He's going along with her because of me? That idiot!"

"You can give him a piece of your mind later. For now, where are you? I'll send out the MP's to collect Nelson and Mercer."

"Also you might want to send someone out here to clean things up. I got a little carried away." Roy couldn't help but laugh. Usually it was Ed they were cleaning up after, not Alphonse." Grabbing a pen, he scribbled down the address that Al gave him.

"I'll come with the clean up crew as well and we can figure out what to do about your brother." The statement ended their conversation and the Colonel relaxed back in his chair. "Now I just have to figure out how to deal with Dr. Kaitlynn."

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Edward laid back, allowing the drugs the doctor gave him kick in. It would be easier if he wasn't capable of rational thought right now. He hated how easily she had manipulated him but it was so clear she knew his weak point. Deep down he couldn't help but wonder that if these people were willing to hurt a person, what would they do to someone they didn't deem human? The thought scared him. Trying to think of something else less worrisome, he realized there weren't too many other things to think about. While he had a good idea what they were planning to do to him, he wondered if he'd be able to handle it. He was certain Alphonse would be worried about him which caused his heart to hurt.

Slowly his thoughts were stolen from him and he felt worn out and tired. If he could just get through today he'd be alright.

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Alphonse heard several trucks pull up to the warehouse and he headed out to greet them. Armstrong was the first person he recognized and the State alchemist stared in shock at the suit of armor.

"Major, I didn't think you'd be here." Riza and Jean got out of one of the other vehicles and hurried over to him as well.

"Alphonse, what happened? You're covered," Armstrong inquired. Al had been so preoccupied that he completely forgot about the blood.

"Oh this, yeah about that." He turned back to the building behind him. "Nelson let his chimeras go and I had to take care of things. I didn't want them getting out and hurting people."

"Won't that rust you or something," Havoc brought up.

"I suppose it could." He clapped his hands and placed them against his chest causing the blood to vanish. Once he was finished, he looked up to see Colonel Mustang standing several feet away. Armstrong and the other two walked past him, into the warehouse to retrieve the two criminal alchemists.

"So you mentioned that you figured this whole thing out." Al nodded back, motioning for him to follow. They moved past all the activity inside however Roy couldn't help but notice the multiple carcasses Alphonse had left behind. "You must have been really upset." Mustang said it softly, understanding how the armor felt. Al didn't comment back but led the way to the back room. In the middle, stood a metal table with a transmutation circle drawn on it. Picking up the notes he'd found earlier, he handed them over and pointed at the arrays roughly drawn.

"See it involves two circles and Nelson told me one of them is actually on Ed." The Colonel raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Like a tattoo?" Al nodded back.

"While I've tried to forget a lot of what happened, I do remember there was the sound of some kind of drill or gun at one point in the other lab. I thought that it had to do with Brother's automail but this makes sense too."

"So we need to bring him back here then?"

"I don't see Dr. Kaitlynn letting us use the clinic for this. It's our best bet."

"Do you really think we can do this?" Alphonse pointed out another part in the notes where he'd circled a paragraph.

"I know one of the reasons they used Brother for this. The transmutation requires three alchemists all together. Two performing the transmutation and the third is more for a subconscious effort." Roy's expression changed, showing he understood.

"And any State alchemist would have a hard time placed in that predicament. If alchemy is happening around us, we have to analyze it and break it down in our mind regardless of whether we will it or not." He crossed his arms and took another second to think about how they were going to get Ed here. "Let me work on getting a warrant for Dr. Kaitlynn's arrest. I'm sure one of my men can get Mercer or Nelson to admit she was involved with their plan. Call me later and I'll let you know where to meet me." For the first time in all of this Alphonse had hope that things were starting to look up.

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The day seemed to fly by with so much to do. Colonel Mustang had to make several calls that ate up his time, only causing his mood to be even fouler as the day wore on. Before he knew it, the sun was setting and it was time to leave however he was waiting Al to call him still. As he finished up the last of his work for the day, the phone rang and Lt. Hawkeye answered it.

"Alphonse, sir."

"Thanks," he lifted the receiver to his ear, calmly. "Everything's all set. Can you meet me in front of the clinic?"

"Sure thing." They ended their conversation quickly and it left Roy wondering if Alphonse was all right with all of this. After seeing what he did earlier he wondered if the less volatile Elric would timidly tag along or if there was more to it then that. Al had always been difficult to read which made it nice that he always seemed more rational. There was just something about his calm demeanor that left the Colonel wondering.

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The clinic was silent once more. This particular evening the entire staff was told to go home, even the night personnel. There was only one patient accounted for right now so no one really questioned it. Once everyone was out of the building, Dr. Kaitlynn locked the place up. She had taken the Colonel's threat earlier very seriously and would have to move tonight. She had already secured a safe location once she was finished with the final procedure. By tomorrow, no one would know where to find her precious experiment. Heading back up to the third floor, she made sure to shut down the elevator and locked both staircase entrances. Now it was just her and Edward. She had everything all set and now there would be no more distractions. As she entered the exam room, she regarded her specimen.

Ed had been so out of it, he hadn't even realized she'd moved him. Since it was clear he wasn't going to fight her anymore, there was no reason to restrain him now. He was completely at her mercy which is how she liked it.

"All right Edward, I just gotta check a couple of final things and then we can get started." Her statement caused him to shiver at the thought. She noticed and smiled back. "Now there's nothing to worry about. This won't hurt a bit and you'll get use to the idea, I promise." Having a difficult time putting a thought together now, he forced himself to produce a question.

"What about Nelson and Mercer?" He shivered again at the thought of them.

"I had no intentions of involving them in such a delicate task. Besides, they really don't have the genetics I need. I had a screening process for this specifically." The information registered some but Edward had no intentions to carry on a conversation. He was some what relieved that the two that started this whole mess were not going to be here. Still it didn't help how knotted his stomach felt or ease any of the concerns in the back of his mind.


	25. Chapter 25

It was impossible to miss Alphonse as he hurried down the street towards the Colonel. Off to the side of the building sat two military cars, one of which Hawkeye was behind the wheel. The Flame alchemist seemed displeased already as he stood outside the clinic's entrance.

"It's locked and no one seems to be in there." Al immediately looked up at the building to see a couple of windows lit up.

"I know Brothers' still here. Doctor Kaitlynn doesn't have anywhere else to go." Without any further explanation, he clapped his hands together and deconstructed the front door. "It's open now." He headed for the stairwell and Roy grudgingly followed behind. It wasn't like running up three flights of stairs would wear Alphonse out in his condition. The Colonel was another matter as he trailed behind some.

"We couldn't take the elevator?" Al reached the door first to the third floor to also find it locked. It only made him even more convinced that something was going on. This time he didn't bother with alchemy but knocked the door right off the wall. The sound caused Dr. Kaitlynn to stop what she was doing. Going for the only door that had light coming from underneath, he moved faster then Roy could keep up. Covering Ed with a sheet, Kaitlynn turned just as the door was forced open with brute force.

"Al?" Even with his head in a daze, Ed managed to sit up some, trying to figure out why Al was there. Kaitlynn stood between the two of them, walking towards Alphonse.

"You're not suppose to be here..." She started to say but was stopped by Al's fist hitting her in the side of the face. Unable to stay standing due to her high heels, she went down easily. Roy and Edward both stared in shock, first at Al and then at Dr. Kaitlynn.

"You shut up! I don't want to hear anymore of your lies!" Alphonse was clearly angry at her. His gaze moved up to Ed who still looked confused. "And YOU!" His hand came round again, slamming Edward in the face. "How could you give in so easily? Do you have any idea how upset I am?" The blond felt tears start to slide down his face in response. Now he was trying to comprehend why Al was angry and why he was crying.

"Sorry, Al. I don't know what to say." He dropped his head, shamefully. "I was scared." Al sighed back, letting his bulky frame relax some. Roy was hesitant to enter the room but he actually felt bad for Kaitlynn, being on the other side of Al's frustrations. Of course that didn't mean he was going to help her up nicely. Yanking her by the forearm, he noticed her bracelet and decided it would be smart to remove it.

"That's mine!" She was obviously upset with him.

"Not anymore," he reached into his pocket and pulled out the warrant for her arrest, shoving it in her face. "Not the brightest idea to lie to the military. Come on." She had nothing to say at that point. There was nothing she could do. Alphonse watched him escort her out before turning back to Ed. He was rubbing the red mark on his face.

"Brother, I know how to get you back to normal." As much as he was expecting a reaction, all he received was a soft grunt. It was clear Ed didn't really comprehend what he just told him. "Let's go." Alphonse lifted Edward and moved for the door. By the time they got downstairs, Lt. Hawkeye had already left in the one car with Dr. Kaitlynn. Roy was now behind the wheel of the second car with the engine running.

"Well? We doing this or not?" Alphonse nodded as Mustang opened the passenger door. Placing Ed inside, he noticed the transmutation circle on his back. It was a relief to know that what Nelson had told him wasn't a lie after all. Shutting the door, he got in the back. Roy hit the gas, taking off towards the lab that was about twenty minutes away. None of them said anything and the silence was starting to feel heavy. It was the realization that this was something no one here had ever tried or was looking forward to. The car finally came to a stop just outside the warehouse from earlier. Although no one seemed to be in a hurry to get out of the car, Alphonse knew they would have to face this eventually. He was the first to make a move, getting out and reaching in to retrieve Ed.

"Al, are you sure about this?" Alphonse glanced down at his brother, noticing he seemed uneasy.

"Are you saying you don't want me to fix you?" It took Edward a second to reply.

"I just don't know." He brought his real hand up to rub his forehead as though he was trying to think clearer. Since it was obvious that Ed was having a difficult time processing all this, Al knew he'd have to make the decision for him.

"It'll be okay, I know we can do this." He had to stay optimistic. Not saying anything else, he headed inside with the Colonel on his heels. They made it to the back lab where Alphonse placed Ed down on the transmutation circle already in place. "Um..." Al realized that this was probably not going to be easy on Ed and they should find something to hold him down with. Glancing around, he realized there was nothing useful available. "Colonel, you'll probably have to hold his hands."

"That doesn't sound good." Al scratched behind his helmet, concluding that he hadn't really explained that much to Mustang earlier.

"Well you see, whenever Nelson and Mercer did this the first time, they did it in several steps. We're doing it all at once so it's not going to be very easy."

"Yeah, that's really not reassuring at all. Guess we just have to do our best. Of course it would help if he wasn't so drugged up." Al hadn't taken that into consideration. That fact could either really help them or hurt them. Either way, he wasn't about to give up just yet. Now with nothing else standing in their way, Roy grabbed Ed by the arms, holding them above his head while Al stood at the other end of the table and clapped his hands together. The room started to glow a light blue as alchemy bounced around. After several seconds of no response Al wondered if it was going to work when Ed couldn't think clearly. After about a minute of uneasiness between him and Mustang, Ed jolted on the table, pulling at his arms. Roy was glad that he wasn't at full strength otherwise it might have been difficult to hold onto him.

Al was still unsure that they're efforts were doing anything until Ed's metal foot made contact with the side of his armor. Although he wasn't expecting that, he didn't stop concentrating on the task. He knew this was going to get worse before it got better. And he knew that he was going to have to disregard Ed's discomfort if they were going to get anywhere. He had already prepared for this as much as possible. Meanwhile Roy wasn't sure what to expect at all. This was completely out of his normal alchemy use. Not that this was beyond his reach but he was glad even after all the research he'd done on this that Al was the one who cracked it. Whenever performing alchemy that didn't involve his trademark flame, he always had doubts in the back of his mind if it wasn't the simple stuff.

The same unsettling feeling of being used came back to Ed and he tried to ignore it as best he could. Even though it was just a subconscious efforts that every alchemist used unknowingly, it was still difficult to not be in control. That was what made this hard the first time. Understanding the whole process then hadn't helped make it any easier either. The transmutation took a hard turn and a wave of pain hit him before he had the chance to brace himself. He leaned his head back and grit his teeth, trying to focus on something else but the drugs made it difficult. This wasn't an external pain like automail surgery where he could try to block it out, it was internal.

Turning his head to the side, a frustrated sound pushed from his lips despite his best efforts to remain silent. This had to be hard on Al as it was so he tried not to complain so much. But as much as he tried to be resolved about it, there was still the memories of the pain from before. And this was about to get a whole lot worse. Within a matter of seconds the agony went from bearable to excruciating. It was like his bones were on fire, being bent and contorted. Every muscle felt as though it was stretched beyond it's capability.

"Al...it's it's too much, I...I can't handle it..." He bit the inside of his mouth, trying to stifle the scream that wanted to surface.

"I know...I'm sorry." Alphonse couldn't really talk at the moment. Edward felt his insides twist unnaturally and he swore he was going to be sick. Whatever Al was doing though seemed to be working, even if the process was slow. Roy noticed that Ed's hips started to appear narrow again and his shoulders seemed to broaden. Despite how painful this was, it was working.

"Al,...please no more," Ed whimpered out as he felt tears sliding down his face. It was beginning to become too much all at once which explained why Nelson and Mercer took their time over several days. Everything shifted painfully again and Edward couldn't hold back, letting out a painful sound.

"Just try to breath, Ed. It's gonna be okay," It was all the Colonel could think to say. There was a slight nod back but the advice didn't help much as he sucked in a stifled breath and tried to release it slowly. Unfortunately he could only do it for so long before the pain became too intense. A scream crawled it's way out, causing Roy to flinch. He knew if Ed's reaction was bothering him, it had to be getting to Alphonse. He eyed the suit of armor across the way as Ed kicked at him again, harder this time. Al took the abuse in stride, still concentrating on what he was doing. Mustang's gaze went back to Ed when the blond stopped screaming and grit his teeth again in an attempt to keep quiet. Despite his efforts, Roy could still hear a frustrated moan coming from him. Mustang knew that there was nothing he could do to make this any easier. He wondered if Alphonse was holding back at all because he didn't want to hurt Ed more then he was now. The blond on the table caught his eye when he squinted up right before he blacked out and the strain against Roy's grip on his arms loosened.

"Alphonse, he's out!" Once Al realized he couldn't hurt Ed any more, the alchemy increased around them. After several more minutes, the light faded. Alphonse swayed some on his feet, glancing down at where Ed's metal foot had made contact with his armor. Just a slight dent but nothing he couldn't fix later. There was some movement that caught his eyes and he noticed Roy leaning closer to Edward's face. The Colonel looked back at Al in a moment of panic.

"He's not breathing." The suit of armor's eyes revealed everything going through his head. He was in total shock, feeling completely useless at this point, unsure of how to remedy the sudden problem. For some reason, he couldn't move. Roy didn't wait for him to come up with a plan. "Al! Get over here and do chest compressions!" He snapped out of it and hurried over. The other alchemist quickly forced Ed's mouth open and pushed air into his lungs. After so many breaths, he checked for a pulse. It was slow and fading quickly. He pressed his mouth against Ed's again with bruising force. "Fullmetal, don't you dare!"

Al kept to his side of things, only stopping whenever the Colonel would stop to press his fingers against Ed's throat. Several minutes of desperate effort passed and Ed coughed into Roy's mouth, causing him to pull back. The blond turned on his side, coughing even more before he inhaled painfully. His lungs were in agony. Everything felt like agony. Once he was able to get his breathing under control, he started to tremble.

"Brother? Are you okay?" There wasn't an answer which made Al feel horrible. Roy had to sit down. He felt lightheaded and couldn't think straight. Alphonse quietly brought his hand over, placing it on Ed's back. He shuddered in return but all in all seemed to be alright. The transmutation tattoo had vanished proving it had worked.

"Alphonse..." Roy let out a particularly long breath. "We should get out of here. Do you think you can move him?" The armor nodded but still seemed hesitant. Mustang got back to his feet and brushed the back of his uniform off. "Do you want me to get him?" Al's guilt was clearly evident. The Flame alchemist got the hint as he very carefully picked Edward up off the table. There was little protest since Ed didn't have the strength to do anything else, let alone make a noise. "Come on Al. It's getting late." Moving for the exit, the suit of armor followed quickly.

Author's notes-I was going to make this the final chapter but I didn't want to rush through the part after this. So there will be an epilogue. :) Oh and yeah that's the most lemon you'll be getting from Ed and Roy. Haha


	26. Chapter 26

Roy unlocked the front door, tossing his keys to the side and letting out a yawn. It had been an overly busy day and was now taking it's toll on him. The clanking behind him stopped for a second as Al shut and locked the door behind them. All the while carrying Edward. He'd fallen asleep in the car which hadn't surprised either one of them. Being as quiet as possible, Al brought him back to the guest room. Mustang removed his boots and scratched his head, before taking his jacket off as well. The suit of armor came back out, trying to be make the least amount of noise as possible. The Colonel found himself smiling feebly at his efforts.

"Trust me, Al. I don't think you're gonna wake him." Alphonse nodded in agreement, bringing his gaze to the floor. This was not the same Al that Roy had witnessed earlier. He was back to his normal worrisome self again.

"Do you think he's in any pain right now? I mean we did talk about a hospital. I know he wouldn't want to wake up in that kind of place after all he's been through, I just worry that something might happen again."

"Al." Roy looked at him sympathetically. "He's fine. If he is in pain, he's sleeping through it now anyway. I'm sure you're gonna stay by his bedside the rest of the night anyway, so if anything else happens, just come get me and we'll deal with it."

"Um...okay." Everything they had been through these past two weeks was really starting to hit Alphonse all at once. And Roy knew that once you witnessed something painful, the only thing to heal that is time. That's how things worked on the battlefield anyway.

"I've got an extra blanket for him in the hall closet, alright?" Walking in that direction, Al followed like he was a lost puppy. Once he had the blanket, he said goodnight to the Colonel and went back into the guest room. Sure enough Ed was still asleep, curled up and completely unaware of any pain that still lingered behind. Al placed the blanket on his slumbering brother and sat on the floor next to the bed, watching every breath Edward took. And just as the Colonel had said, he stayed there all night.

uuuuuuuuuuuuu

There was a light knock on the front door the next morning and Roy really didn't want to get up to answer it. Even so, he wearily got out of bed and grabbed his bathrobe. Checking the clock out in the living room, he noted it was almost seven.

"Really? Kind of early." Opening the door, he made eye contact with Lt. Hawkeye. Glancing down at what he was wearing she immediately brought her gaze back up, slightly blushing in response. He couldn't help but smile at her reaction but she wasn't in uniform this morning either. Clearing her throat, she straightened her shoulders more.

"Sorry sir, I know it's early." He opened the door more to welcome her inside.

"Come on in." He motioned with his head.

"I know this is somewhat unprofessional." She walked in and turned back to him as he let out a yawn and stuffed his hands in his pockets."

"It's okay, the office is closed today, remember. Besides I know why you're here."

"You do, Sir?" She blinked several times. He nodded, walking into the kitchen to start some coffee for them.

"You were just as worried as the rest of us. About Ed." She relaxed some and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"So were you able to get anywhere last night?" She had been on edge most of the night and didn't really sleep very well. After giving Dr. Kaitlynn a piece of her mind in the car, she just couldn't clear her mind. The Colonel's faint smile really didn't give anything away either.

"Actually we were able to get Ed back to normal. Of course it was more Alphonse then me though. He'll say it was a joint effort but he did most of the hard work though. I don't know how he managed either. I doubt I would have been able to pull it off." There was the hint of laughter in his voice which made her feel a little better about it.

"It was that bad, I take it." Roy shook his head back at her which was the only way he could confirm it without going into any of the details. But even so, it was relieving to hear that everything was back to normal, or at least as normal as possible. "I'm glad he's okay."

"He's still sleeping but at some point I need to speak with one of the military physicians about looking him over. Just as a precaution." Riza leaned on the table with a smile in place.

"You know he's not gonna like that." Mustang frowned back at her.

"I don't care what he likes, it's not an option." She shook her head in disbelief. The coffee had finished brewing and he went over to get them each a cup. "Guess he could probably use some coffee." Riza moved before he did.

"Let me get him, Sir. He won't be mad at me for getting him up." She did have a point. If he hadn't blamed her for taking him to Dr. Kaitlynn, he wouldn't be mad at her for this. She disappeared down the hallway and knocked lightly on the one door. Alphonse answered it rather quickly.

"Hey Alphonse. There's coffee. We thought Ed might want some." He seemed surprised she was here this early.

"He's still really out of it. I don't know if he's gonna want to get up, to be honest." He opened the door completely for her to see Ed sleeping in quite the uncomfortable position. It made her glad to see everything was as if this whole nightmare hadn't happened. Al was still very much overprotective as always and Ed was, well being lazy.

"Well it's good to know everything's okay." Alphonse brought his hand behind his head, unsure if he really wanted the acknowledgment.

"I just hope he's not mad at me. I knew it wasn't going to be easy on him."

"I'm sure he won't be." Moving into the room, she leaned over and gently nudged the sleeping teen.

"Edward?" He curled up more, pulling his pillow over his metal arm. She shook him again, a little harder this time. Eventually he stretched out and opened one eye to see what she wanted. "Why don't you get up and come have some coffee." He let out a tired groan before rubbing his forehead. Despite how much he wanted to stay in bed, he always did have a difficult time saying no to Lt. Hawkeye.

"Fine, but I gotta use the bathroom first."

"Brother, the Lieutenant doesn't want to know about that." Edward shrugged Al's statement off. Riza left the room and headed back to the kitchen with Al following close behind her. When Ed came in, he noticed Roy was just getting off the phone.

"I'll tell you more about it later when we come in. Thanks, I appreciate it. All right, bye." Hanging up the phone, he turned to see the suspicious look on the blond's face.

"What was that about?" The smirk on the Colonel's face just made things worst.

"Don't worry, you'll find out later." The side of Ed's mouth twitched as he was positive that he wasn't going to like where this was headed. His mouth pulled to the side as he narrowed his gaze at Roy.

"Something tells me to worry." Despite the obvious disapproval of whatever Mustang had planned, Al couldn't help but feel relieved that his brother appeared to be acting normal. Defiant to the end but at least he didn't seem to be hurting or angry at anyone else in the room. Of course the way the Colonel was being secretive, that could change at any point.

uuuuuuuuuuuu

"Alright Mr. Elric, open wide and say 'ah'." Edward couldn't help but roll his eyes at the doctors request. This had been Mustang's dumb idea and the only reason he agreed to it at all was because Alphonse made him. There was nothing wrong with him now. He caught the deep red glare he was receiving from the suit of armor across the room. Obviously irritated, he opened his mouth.

"Ahh." The doctor stuck a depressor in and shined a flash light down his throat. Once he was satisfied, he removed the tongue depressor and gently lifted Ed's chin up to check his glands.

"Had a sore throat lately?" The doctor's fingers felt cold against his neck.

"A bit when I talk." He rubbed his throat when the doctor removed his hand. After writing himself a note, he removed his stethoscope from around his neck. Pressing the one end to Ed's chest, he shivered at the metal's coldness. Other then the temperature of it, Ed also noticed his chest was still pretty sensitive. He couldn't help but wonder how long that would last.

"Now go ahead and take a deep breath." Ed found himself rolling his eyes again. Staring at the ceiling, he sucked in his next breath. He was so sick of doctors at this point. "Mmm..."

"What's mmm," Al piped up, sudden concern entering his voice.

"Well it's just his heartbeat seems a little weak but it's nothing to worry about." Unfortunately Al missed the 'nothing to worry about' part of the explanation.

'His heart is weak, oh no. I did this to him and now he's gonna have to deal with it for the rest of his life. What if this kills him, it'll be all my fault.' Edward could recognize the tell tale signs of Al's worry. He whistled loudly to get the armor's attention.

"Yo, Alphonse. He said not to worry about it. Okay?" Alphonse seemed to calm down, even if Edward still had that annoyed tone in his voice.

"Mr. Elric," the doctor pulled his stethoscope away with an irritated look on his face. "Please don't talk when I'm trying to listen." Edward sucked in a another breath and held it in, blowing his cheeks out in an attempt to remain some what calm.

"So we're done, right?" The man in front of him frowned in response.

"No, I still gotta check one more thing. Can you go ahead and take your pants off?"

The Flame alchemist was sitting just outside in the waiting room when then door was kicked open and Edward stomped out.

"Yeah, we're done," he grumbled as he yanked his jacket back on and adjusted the hood in the back. Alphonse hurried after him while Roy glanced into the room where the doctor just shrugged back at him.

"Brother, I don't think you should leave just yet."

"What a _brilliant _plan. 'Oh hey you've just been through two weeks of crazy alchemist and doctors'," Al had heard Ed's rants about the Colonel so many times and his impersonation wasn't getting any better. " 'Let's go ahead and let another doctor invade your privacy.' No thanks."

"But Ed, what if something is wrong. They just want to be thorough." Edward turned back with _that_ look in his eyes. Al knew it all too well. It was the look that said 'You're not winning this one, I'm putting my foot down;.

"Everything down THERE is fine. I would notice, alright." Feeling he didn't need to explain any further he turned away, his red jacket sweeping behind him. Roy knew there was nothing else he could do. The doctor came out, sighing loudly and shaking his head.

"Well from what I saw, he's perfectly healthy especially his temper." Mustang let out a laugh.

"Thanks for trying." He handed the doctor an envelope with his payment in it and went after the Elric brothers. Even though he had a lot of work waiting for him, he still couldn't help but feel relieved that things were all right. The idea of having a female Edward walking around was terrifying for anyone who knew the teen. One moment of anger and he could've destroyed half the city. It was hard enough keeping tabs on the destruction as it was. At least Alphonse was around to keep him grounded too. He watched quietly several steps behind the two while they argued back and forth. At least this whole ordeal hadn't deterred them much. If this couldn't stop them, nothing would.

-End-

Author's note-I hope everyone liked the ending. And Eclipse, I hope that the climax wasn't too frustrating. :) Thank you everyone who reviewed and helped encourage me.


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